The Elite Trials
by GottaGoFaster
Summary: As Ash's friends turn on him, he finds himself in despair until a compelling challenge arrives courtesy of the Pokemon League. Follow Ash as he undergoes trials to become a member of the Kanto Elites, overcoming many obstacles along the way. Slight shipping on the side. Rated T for slight language. I don't own Pokemon.
1. Cleansing Kalos!

**Hey all! This is my first attempt at a fanfiction every (though I am a pretty avid reader) so try not to be too harsh. Just so you know, this story will for certain be completed. I have the entire thing written already (not that it is that long, but still) and will upload a chapter every two days.**

 **(EDITED: Note that I recently decided to upload daily instead. Not every two days, just every day.)**

 **Try not to be too harsh, but reviews would be appreciated! I may not change much in what I have already written (though I never know; If I love an idea, I could change something), but the criticism may help if I ever decide to try another story or a sequel.**

 **This was written for a sort of personal project and is strictly a rough draft to see how I do if I just kind of spit out my thoughts. There may be some grammar mistakes and stuff as a result, but I wanted to upload it like this and keep it authentic. However, if you see anything glaringly bad, please let me know; if it detracts from the story, I will edit it out if I find time.**

 **And lastly, there will be some holes in the story. I wanted to leave it somewhat open if I every tried to write a sequel.**

 **Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_ Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **" _Words"_ : words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Mr. Charles Goodshow, head of the Pokemon League, glanced down at his computer with a confused look. Trainer Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. A well accomplished individual in the world of battles for certain. Despite his young age, the boy took the world by storm when he made it into the Kanto League, the very first league he ever attempted. It was near unprecedented for that to happen; only about 10% of league participants were new trainers, and for one of these few to be a nobody from a small, rural place called Pallet Town came as a complete shock. That shock was only advanced further when the young boy with a Pikachu fought through the preliminaries and made it into the victory tournament. True, he lost in the first round- against someone his age, ironically enough- but his progress to that point showed the world that he would undoubtedly become great. Over the next few years, he proved them right; top standings in Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and most recently, Kalos. Not to mention the fact that he was the first trainer in years to even reach the Dragonite belonging to Drake, the Orange Islands Champion, let alone to defeat the thing, and being one of the only people (and the only kid) to ever beat the Kanto Battle Frontier.

However, those were only the accomplishments of his that were known to the public. Each champion knew Ash well and reported what kinds of things he did throughout the region, as did the gym leaders. As such, Charles knew that the boy was constantly involved with legendary Pokemon and threats to the entire world. The kid had saved Arceus, for crying out loud. A being which some people literally consider the creator of their universe was saved by a 15 year old kid (14 at the time)! He had fought every villainous team in the book, and usually came out on top as well. And recently, Charles had been notified of various sightings of someone who he assumed was Ash; a trainer with a red cap, a Pikachu, and a Greninja had been appearing in places throughout the Kalos region and destroying large red tendrils that randomly popped up from the ground before sprinting away. Goodshow was not certain, but the sightings reported the tendrils as looking immensely similar to those produced by the corrupt Zygarde attack after the Kalos league, so it made sense that Ash would get involved.

Looking down at the file, Goodshow shuddered. This one kid had done as much as most Elite Four members (if not more) to help people, and had saved the world and legendary Pokemon more than anybody he had ever heard of. If this kid kept going like this, it was completely feasible that he would become the world's most powerful trainer.

However, Goodshow pondered something. Despite his exemplary standing in leagues, he had never actually won any aside from the unofficial ones. Based on his accomplishments, he should have started winning from Sinnoh on at least. Of course, Tobias was an unfortunate opponent to have, but at the very least there was no reason he shouldn't have been able to beat Cameron in Unova and Alain in Kalos. Nothing about those two was particularly difficult to deal with, and even Alain's Charizard should have gone down eventually…

Goodshow shook his head and sighed. He had no idea what was going on with Ash's track record. Still, the kid's records were more than enough. He grabbed a pen and turned to the list next to him, which had the word _Prospects_ written on top, and scratched down Ash's name. He knew he was taking a bit of a gamble, with Ash's somewhat inconsistent win streak and tendency to attract danger, but the kid was good. Really good. Hopefully he would take this chance.

* * *

"Greninja, Water Shuriken! Pikachu, Electro Ball!" A massive shuriken shaped out of water, blue energy pulsing off it, and a yellow ball crackling with electricity crashed into a massive red and black tendril, exploding and creating a massive cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, the tendril was gone.

"Great job you two!" a trainer with a red cap, black fingerless gloves, and a blue jacket said. "Pika!" "Gre!"

The small yellow mouse and the large blue frog then turned and ran towards the nearby woods, their trainer right behind them. They dove into the underbrush as people started to repopulate the area that had just been attacked by the tendril.

"What just happened?"

Ash Ketchum brushed branches off his face as he made his way deeper into the woods, towards the designated meeting place.

"Another one off the list, right guys?"

The two besides him nodded. Greninja powered down from his special Ash-Greninja form before giving Ash a remorseful look. "Gre…"

Ash sighed before glaring at his Pokemon. "Greninja, stop feeling guilty! I know that you feel bad that I stayed to help with the tendrils too and had to postpone my return home, but I did it because I wanted too! You could use the help, and without me, you can't use Bond Phenomenon! Besides, I didn't want to leave you here! This way, we can finish up with the tendrils faster and be done, and then we can all head back to Pallet together!"  
Greninja notably perked up and nodded. The group promptly picked up the pace and moved straight into the depths of the forest. After walking for about 20 minutes, they saw a green glow coming from between the trees.

"Greetings, Greninja, Ash, Pikachu." Squishy spoke.

"I trust the mission was successful?" his larger counterpart- the 50% form of Zygarde, if Ash remembered correctly- asked?

Ash replied "Yep! Another part of the corruption is done!"

"Excellent; that only leaves a few patches of Kalos still corrupted. If I am correct, only the places humans call Santalune City and Vanville Town have a few tendrils each left. Once those are gone, your work will be done." Zygarde looked pleased, to say the least. Ash grinned as well; at this rate, he would be home in no time!

"Gre, Greninja!" Ash looked to the side to see Greninja gesturing towards the west.

"Oh, you want to go now?" Ash though for a second. "Well, no time like the present I guess! Besides, if we head there now we can take out the tendrils within a few days and catch the next plane back to Kanto." Ash turned to Squishy.

"In that case, I think we'll just go take out the last few tendrils and head directly home. It's been good working and traveling with you, Squishy. I'll try to come back and visit."

Squishy nodded. "It has been… nice, Ash. Let Bonnie know to come visit sometimes."

"I'll send her a message," Ash replied. "Okay, Pikachu, Greninja, let's move!"

Adjusting his cap, Ash set off towards Santalune City.

* * *

 **Date uploaded: December 4**

 **Chapter 1 Complete.**


	2. Returning Home: Old Friends and Enemies!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. Note that I recently decided I will upload a chapter daily. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash made himself more comfortable in the plane seat. "Good to be on the way home, right Pi?" "Pikapi, Pikachu!" Ash felt pretty pleased that he always managed to find the airlines that let passengers keep Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Other passengers had Pokemon like Skitty, Poochyena, and even a Pichu or two; the only limit was that they all had to be pretty small Pokemon.

"Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts. We are coming in for a landing."

Ash ran straight for Pallet Town the moment he exited the Viridian City Airport. Given the short distance between the two places, he easily made it to Pallet within an hour of walking and jogging. He smiled as he climbed the hill that led to the town, catching sight of the windmill that marked Professor Oak's ranch.

"Almost home, buddy!" "Pika!"

He rushed down the slope towards his own house before knocking. "Mom! I'm home!"

The door creaked, but was then opened by a Mr. Mime. "Mime?"

"Pika chu Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and onto Mr. Mime's. He started to chat with the Barrier Pokemon, apparently catching up with him. Ash grinned before realizing his mother hadn't come up behind Mimey to hug and greet him.

"Hey Mimey! Have you seen mom?" Ash asked. He was confused; his mom never forgot the day he came home…

Mimey pointed towards the ranch with a smile. "Oh, she went over to the Professor's ranch? Got it! Thanks Mimey!"

And just like that, Ash sprinted straight for the ranch. It only took him a minute to get there. He prepared to knock before a bolt of lightning smashed into him.

"Ahhhhhh! Pikachu, what was that for?!" "Pikapi, Pikachu chu pi!"

The mouse had chased behind him and caught up to him a moment before he knocked. Apparently, Ash's adrenaline had kept him running without him getting tired; Pikachu, on the other hand, was exhausted after the flight, and another sprint was _not_ something he had wanted to do.

"Okay, okay buddy, I'm sorry! Can we go in now?" Ash pleaded. Pikachu gave him a disdainful look before sighing and hopping onto his shoulder.

Ash knocked on the door and heard a voice. "It's open!"

He glanced at Pikachu, who shrugged, and promptly opened the door and went in. "Surprise!" Ash stumbled back in shock. Almost all of his traveling companions and some of his rivals from Kanto to Sinnoh were present. Misty, Brock, May, Dawn, Drew, Kenny, Gary, and Barry all stood before him, with his mother and Professor Oak in the background. He noted that his Unova and Kalos companions were not around.

'Must be too far away,' he noted. 'It'd be a bit much to ask them to take a plane trip out here just for a little party. But where's Max at?"

On the outside though, Ash just appeared to be his usual bubbly self. "Hey guys! Wow, you're all here! And just to congratulate me?"

He glanced at May and was confused when she looked slightly scared, but then Misty stepped up and replied, "At least for now, yeah. We have some talking and catching up to do a little later, but for the moment, we just need to celebrate a bit!"

Delia, his mother, stepped up. "It's so good to see you Ash! Come on, time for one of my famous home-cooked meals!"

Ash frowned at the part about "catching up". He kept his companions updated by calling them all the time; what could they need to know? He chose to let it slide at the mention of food, and decided to follow the group outside into the ranch.

As soon as the group stepped out of the lab, they heard a yell. "Bulba Bulbasaur!"

Ash's Bulbasaur promptly knocked Heracross off him with a Vine Whip. Ash couldn't speak Pokemon, but he was pretty sure Bulbasaur was yelling profanities about "sap" and "crazy beetles". He called out to his faithful friend.

"Bulbasaur, hey! Over here! I'm home!"

Bulbasaur turned and spotted Ash before a huge grin crossed his face. He ran towards Ash and allowed his trainer to crouch and pet him.

"Hey Bulbasaur, can you get the rest of the group over here for a bit? I want to say hey to everyone!"

Bulbasaur nodded his consent before charging up a Solarbeam. It was clear, however, that the amount of energy he was gathering was not enough for an attack. With a roar, he released the energy from his bulb in the form of a signal flare. Ash's Pokemon across the ranch spotted the flare and recognized the signal to gather up.

In an instant the herd of Tauros got to him first; once they passed over, leaving him face down in the earth, Bayleef and all of the other mid-sized quadrupeds added their share of trampling. To top it all off, Snorlax picked his trainer up.

Ash panicked. "Wait, Snorlax, you don't need to do thiiiiiiiiiiis." Too late. Snorlax crushed his trainer in a hug. By the time Snorlax dropped his trainer, Ash looked pretty close to being near dead. "Pika!"

In a flash of lightning, Pikachu unleased a Thunderbolt directly on Ash. The result was pretty instantaneous.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

When Ash had finished rubbing all of the dried soot off of him, he turned to his Pokemon, who had now gathered in a crowd. Aside from the few of his team members that were living in other places like Charizard in the Charicific Valley, everyone was here. He pulled out 4 Pokeballs and summoned his Kalos team; Talonflame, Greninja, Hawlucha, and Noivern took in their surroundings before joining the crowd of Pokemon. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder to join the group. "Hey everyone!" He received a set of roars in response. "Well, as you can all see, I'm clearly back for some time. It's great to see all of you, and I have a lot of great stories from Kalos to tell! I'm not too sure what is next for us, but we can all plan together. For now, let's eat!"

He turned to his mother.

"Mom, I hope you made enough food for the team too."

As it turned out, his mother had more than enough food. Soon, everyone was digging into some fresh food courtesy of Mr. Mime, who arrived at the ranch to help dole out food. Once Ash was done eating, he called over Pikachu. "Hey buddy, how about showing the rest of the team what Greninja and I can do? I wanted to show them Mega Evolution up close if I could, especially since some of them have Megas, but since I can't, they could be interested in Bond Phenomenon."

Pikachu thought it over for a moment before giving his trainer a thumbs up. Ash nodded before standing up. "Hey Greninja! Can you come over her for a minute?"

Greninja was by his side within a few seconds and Ash whispered his idea into Greninja's ear. Greninja nodded and stood by Ash.

"Okay everyone, gather around!" After waiting for everyone to crowd around him, Ash continued to speak. "So I'm sure some of you know that a new phenomenon called Mega Evolution was recently discovered in Kalos. Some Pokemon actually have a temporary power up they can access that takes them beyond evolution."

Ash's team listened raptly; many of them were extremely excited by this new concept. Sceptile, for example, was incredibly interested, though he tried not to show it; a possible way to get even stronger? Definitely worth looking in to.

"The issue with Mega Evolution is that you need some special stones to pull it off. A Pokemon needs to hold a Mega Stone and a trainer needs to hold a Key Stone, and I don't really have either since they tend to be pretty rare and hard to come by. However, recently Greninja and I found something we can do that's pretty similar. It is something only Greninja can pull off, and it pretty closely resembles Mega Evolution. Anyone want to see it?"

Some of the Pokemon were disgruntled that they couldn't achieve Mega Evolution without those requirements, but their interest was piqued when Ash mentioned his Greninja. They all nodded and turned towards Greninja.

Ash grinned before letting thoughts of Greninja run through his mind. The time they first met, when Greninja was just a Froakie… the times he and Greninja trained together, and worked to surpass their limits… when Frogadier evolved into Greninja to protect ninja village, and first discovered his Bond Phenomenon, though they had no idea what it was at the time. And when he finally learned how to access Bond Phenomenon at will, when they made that fateful promise to get stronger together that one night. A flash of light and splash of water caught his attention as Greninja transformed.

The Pokemon stared in awe. This was out of the norm, even by the standards of their trainer. Ash spoke,

"Hey Greninja, want to show them the power boost?" The Ninja Pokemon nodded. Ash pointed at a tree.

"Okay, Aerial Ace on that tree!" The other Pokemon gaped as Greninja's attack smashed straight through the base of the tree. "Now, Water Shuriken!"

The Shuriken soared through the air at another tree before it the wind blew it off course. Ash and his friends stared as the shuriken was blown into the nearby lake before turning to the source of the wind; a massive purple machine with a familiar R on the front.

"Prepare for trouble!" "Make it…" "What are you guys doing here!?" Ash interrupted Jessie and James. "Can't you guys leave me alone for just a day? You couldn't have just stayed in Kalos for a little after I left?"

"Nope, twerp! And now we're here to take that Greninja of yours, and Pikachu too of course." Jessie replied.

"You do know that a big chunk of Greninja's strength comes from Bond Phenomenon, which only I can activate to begin with, right?"

"Hmmm… that's actually a good po-" Jessie smacked James on the head before he could finish his sentence. "Shut it twerp! Meowth, activate the vacuum!"

The large purple vacuum instantly started to suck in Pokemon. Ash's larger team members were fine, and Ash managed to grab Pikachu, but smaller ones like Totodile were sent flying. "Guys! No!"

"Meowth, up the power!" "Powering up!"

The vacuum started to inhale Pokemon even more powerfully. Soon even Ash's largest Pokemon, Snorlax, was being moved by the sheer power of the vacuum. "Gah, we need to do something! Snorlax, aim a Hyper Beam at the cockpit of the machine!"

It was a reckless move. It was a dangerous move. Everyone dove for cover as Snorlax managed to gain his footing and fire a beam of pure power at the Rocket members inside of the machine. The Hyper Beam easily sent them flying with their signature cry of "We're blasting off again!"

However, it damaged the machine controls. The vacuuming mechanism shut down and Ash's Pokemon began to jump out from the tube. As soon as the last one, Gibe, was out however, the machine began to spark, looking like it would explode. Ash's eyes widened.

"Oh, crud! Everyone get back!"

Everyone backed just far away enough in time. The machine blew up spectacularly, leaving a massive crater in the middle of the field. Ash and his friends were pale; they had been standing within the radius a few seconds ago. Ash turned to his friends,

"Phew… that was way too close, huh guys?" As his friends glared at him, however, a sinking feeling filled Ash. Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

 **Date Uploaded: December 5**

 **Chapter 2 Complete.**


	3. Betrayal: Gible Comes Through!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **As a quick note, the idea of Gible's role in the battle was somewhat adapted from The Black Latios, a fanfic done by Mekon. Gible's role is really similar to that of the role Mekon assigned Gible, but not exactly; mine was meant to just be a quick scene where Gible demolished everything like an apocalypse while his was a much more lengthy and developed scene. I just wanted to give credit where it is due, since his battle scene sparked my idea of having Gible be the MVP of the battle. His fic can be found here:** **s/6667359/1/The-Black-Latios**

 **Check it out. It's definitely one of the best Pokemon fics out there.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash's friends stared him down, leaving Ash wondering what they were thinking. The glares they were giving her were pretty abnormal; even when they were angry at him for making a stupid or rash decision, they never quite glared at him with that much hatred in their eyes.

"Uh, guys? What's wrong?"

Misty stepped forward, her already short temper rapidly growing shorter.

"What's wrong? You almost just ended our lives!" Brock decided to add to that.

"Ash, as much as I hate to say it, you are a dangerous friend to have. It is because of you that we almost just died, and almost die on regular occasions as well!"

Ash gaped; they couldn't possibly be serious, right? True, Team Rocket did tend to attack them and go after Pikachu, but nothing bad ever really happened.

Meanwhile, Dawn stepped forward, "Need I remind you how Team Galactic almost destroyed us all? And the ENTIRE UNIVERSE?!"

"I had no control over that! Uxie, Azelf, and Mesprit teleported us all in because they bonded with you as well, not just me!"

"Nevertheless," Gary spoke, "Wherever you go, trouble follows you. Not one of your journeys hasn't involved some sort of world-ending threat that you just barely stopped. Don't you ever stop and think about what you leave behind?"

Ash visibly flinched, remembering Sir Aaron's Lucario and the Latios that lived in Altomare. Those two had both been lost saving the world, and he had done nothing about them. He frowned to himself as he looked at the floor.

Seeing Ash weakening, the others decided to push their point. Delia spoke up this time,

"Ash, you know I love you and worry about you all the time. Your dreams don't really seem to be getting you anywhere, and everywhere you go you nearly die. So I have a simple solution that I can say everyone here agrees with. Quit your journey and live at home. Release you're Pokemon, and the criminals that attack you will no longer see you as a threat. Do this for us, please!"

The group of friends all looked at Ash expectantly. They hoped Ash would be his usual friendly self and give in to their demands as he usually did; the actual result was incredibly uncharacteristic of Ash. He exploded.

"What the actual hell did you just suggest? Did I hear you guys correctly?"

Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and glared at the crowd, cheeks sparking.

"After everything I have done for each of you, you have the NERVE! To tell me that not only am I a danger to you, not only am I not getting anywhere in my dreams, but that I should just give up and QUIT?"

Instantly, Brock and co. stepped forward. "Ash, if you don't stop, we'll have to stop you ourselves." Professor Oak said.

"Even you, Professor?"

"I've seen the types of trouble that you've gotten into. I only want the best for you."  
Ash looked at him with a pleading gaze. "Then you know what's best for me is to continue my journey and achieve my dreams!" Professor Oak's nervous look was all the answer he needed.

"Well then, I guess I'll be on my way." Ash turned and walked towards his Pokemon.

"Not so fast, Ketchum!" Gary released Blastoise which barred Ash's path. As the rest of the group began to release Pokemon, however, Ash's team took action.

They had stood by at the argument, figuring it was best to let them resolve it among themselves, but the moment a threat to their trainer came up, they were all blocking the traitorous Pokemon.

Ash quickly ran behind his Pokemon and whispered a few hurried instructions to Bulbasaur. The Pokemon nodded and slunk away, unnoticed by his crowd of former friends. Ash then turned to his Pokemon, who were facing down the enemies. They were surrounded from all sides, since despite Ash's huge number of Pokemon, he was facing several full teams. The addition of Professor Oak's Dragonite only made things more daunting. They needed his help.

"Okay, everyone! Surround Gible! He's the main tank! Gible, fire Draco Meteors and don't stop! Larger Pokemon, block any attacks heading for him! Everyone else, attack directly! Take em' down!"

With a roar, the team charged. Snorlax and the herd of Tauros formed an unbreachable barrier between Gible and the enemies, and by using moves like Protect or nullifying enemy attacks, made sure no moves got through. Ash's flyers defended Gible from the air, while his other Pokemon attacked from the ground. Why so much emphasis on Gible, the traitorous group wondered? Soon they saw.

The glowing balls of energy were soon everywhere. Ash's team was prepared for the attacks and stayed close to Gible so they were outside of the blast radius, but meteors rained down upon all Pokemon unfortunate enough to be within Gible's range; which, unfortunately for them, was really, really big. With Gible dealing massive splash damage, Flamethrowers, Vine Whips, Thunderbolts, Water Guns, and more were able to take out the opponents. It was a complete massacre; none of Ash's team even looked tired. "Gible!" in a brilliant flash of light, Gible changed. He got taller, grew fins, his arms grew much longer, and he grew sharp claws; the light faded as the evolution ended. "Gab!" The newly evolved Gabite roared. "Excellent work, team. Especially you, Gabite. You earned that evolution."

The traitors were shocked at how easily they had gone down. In retrospect, it made sense though; all of his former friends were either second rate trainers or never really trained at all.

"Bulba!" Ash turned to see Bulbasaur running towards him with a sack. "Thanks, buddy!" he said as he grabbed it from Bulbasaur and withdrew every Pokemon he could. With the traitor's Pokemon all knocked out, there was only so much they could do to stop him; especially since Pikachu sparked at everyone who walked near him. Ash withdrew everyone except Staraptor and Pikachu, then promptly hopped onto Staraptor and ordered him to fly away. As Staraptor gained altitude, Ash glared down at the group of people he once called friends, family. He turned his back on them and left them, desiring never to see them again.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 6**


	4. Old Rivals, An Old Teammate, New Plans!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. Thanks for all the support so far!**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Paul strolled down the road to Pallet town with his usual glare on his face. You could tell, however, by looking at him, that he had changed. His hair was longer, he had gotten taller, and his Electivire, which walked besides him, looked… happier. The biggest change, however, was in his eyes. The once stone cold orbs were now; well, still cold, but a little more easygoing and friendly. At a time, looking him in the eyes made you feel as though you would rather take a Fissure attack than stare him down. Now, he looked a little intimidating, but… lighter. And the condition of his team had clearly improved. Of course, he was still rough and rude. It would be impossible to turn over that much of a new lead, but he was getting better. He still pursued the same strength, just in a better way.

"Electivire, you ready for this? Time to test Ketchum's own training method against Ketchum itself. I can feel that we've been getting stronger together, and who best to test our new method against that Mr. Loves his Pokemon himself?" Electivire grinned in reply and sparked menacingly. Paul smirked,

"Yea, I owe him more than I'll ever admit His methods are super effective and efficient; plus Reggie seems to think I'm a better person now, so that's good."

Paul picked up the pace and made his way to Pallet, spotting Professor Oak's lab. Honestly, the thing was a legendary monument in the Pokemon world; it was abnormal to know about Pallet Town without knowing that the great Professor Oak lived there. And if he was lucky, Ash would be nearby as well. He made his way towards the windmill, not quite spotting the red and yellow blur riding a Staraptor towards the forest.

* * *

Staraptor landed once they felt like they were sufficiently in the forest. Ash hopped off, his cap covering his eyes and hiding his anger. Pikachu dismounted his shoulder and looked up at him. "Pikapi?"

"No, buddy. I'm really not okay. Every friend I have… they all did this to me. Sure, I didn't see anyone from Unova or Kalos, but for all I know they helped from a distance. Who can I trust?"

Pikachu thought for a moment; his thoughts flashed to a young boy with glasses who had apparently missed the meeting and an angry purple haired man. But before he could speak up to Ash, a cry pierced the air. "Feeeeaaarrr!"

Ash looked up to see a familiar sight; an angry Fearow dive-bombing him. "For crying out loud, can't I catch a break!?" In a fit of rage and a feat that shocked the Pokemon present, Ash leaped over the Fearow as it got close to the ground. He landed behind the startled Pokemon, rolled, and then leapt again, grabbing it by the tail feathers. The Fearow gave a confused squawk as he pulled it towards the ground and proceeded to smash it into the floor multiple times.

Pikachu and Staraptor winced. "Pikapi…" the mouse scratched his head at the unnecessarily brutal display.

Ash eventually got tired of abusing the bird before throwing it into a bush and walking back towards his friends. The two Pokemon eyed him cautiously before he looked directly at them, displaying eyes that were slightly calmer. "I think I needed that. Sorry if I scared you guys. Anyway, I was about to ask, what should we-"Feeeaarrowww!"

Apparently, they had all underestimated the raging bird. Emerging silently from the bush, it got close to Ash, roared, and launched a drill peck at his back. Ash had just enough time to wince; his Pokemon were a little too far away to react in time, and he couldn't do anything that fast.

Suddenly, a brown blur flying at supersonic speeds crashed down into the Fearow with Brave Bird. Fearow was crushed into the ground before its form went still. The blur slowed down and landed in front of Ash, who was still curled up and awaiting the attack. Ash realized the attack had been stopped, and turned around to see none other than his old friend Pidgeot!

For his part, Pidgeot stared that the trainer who he had just saved. He had ignored the trainer for the sake of taking down that damn Fearow-that thing never gave him a rest- but looking at the trainer, he seemed kind of familiar. When he turned around, he found himself glancing into the face of his old trainer.

Ash's first instinct was to reach out. "Pidgeot?" he asked softly. "Is that really you?"

Pidgeot decided to follow his first instinct as well. A wing promptly beat Ash facedown into the earth. "Pidgeot, tooooo" she screeched in annoyance.

"Oww…" Ash picked himself up. "Okay, I guess you're not too happy that I never came back to get you. Pidgeot, I'm sorry about that, but I just couldn't come."

The bird cocked its head to the side, waiting. Pikachu and Staraptor listened in.

"See, there is a reason I rarely went back to see Pokemon who I left behind. Yes, I am always glad to see them around, but it _hurts._ To go see them even temporarily and know that within a day or two, it can be another month before I see them. I always say I know we can meet again soon, but it never is soon. It hurts, leaving friends behind."

Pidgeot nodded in understanding; he didn't really agree with the logic his trainer was using, but he did understand why it made sense. Still… he glanced at the Fearow, driven into a crater in the ground by his last attack, and made his choice.

Ash stared as Pidgeot plucked a Poke Ball off his belt with a talon and managed to enlarge it to hurl it at Fearow. The ball dinged with no resistance, as Fearow was basically unconscious already. Pidgeot then grabbed the ball and flew into the air above Pallet Town; so fast he was basically a blur, he broke the sound barrier, dropped the Poke ball near the entrance to Oak's lab, and made his way back to Ash.

Ash looked at Pidgeot's wild gestures before realizing what he meant. "Oh, the Fearow is dealt with now! Does that mean you want to come with me again?" Pidgeot nodded, and Ash grinned. "Good to have you back, Pidgeot!" Ash plucked a fresh Poke Ball off his belt and recaptured Pidgeot; the bird let himself be sucked into his Poke Ball with no resistance whatsoever, and dinged upon capture.

Ash grinned at the ball in his hand before gesturing to Staraptor. "Hey Staraptor, how about you take a break? You had to fly us out here and you had to battle against my frien- the traitors, so why not take a rest and I can ride Pidgeot for a while."

The Predator Pokemon nodded and let himself be returned before Ash called out Pidgeot and hopped on.

"Okay buddy, to be completely honest, I have no idea what to do next." Ash talked to his bird. "But I think I need some time to train, so maybe we should get some practice in… Hey! That tournament in Rota is happening now! Pidgeot, do you know how to get there?" The Bird Pokemon nodded. "Great! Let's go! I'll get stronger, and I'll prove them all wrong!"

With his morale restored by the return of an old friend and a new goal, Ash, Pikachu, and Pidgeot made their way to their next destination.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Complete.**

 **Date Uploaded: December 7.**


	5. Paul's Rage, and A New Battle Begins!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Paul knocked on the door of Oak's lab. "Hey! Anybody here!"

He leaned on the door impatiently; seemed his desire to battle Ash had sparked a flame of passion in him that he never knew he had; he was feeling incredibly ready and wanted to battle right away. He didn't even consider the possibility that Ash could decline the battle; the kid was too battle-hungry to ever deny a fight. Well, unless he was actually hungry; he always put his stomach first…

The door opened to reveal Tracey, "Can I help you?"

"Yea," Paul replied, "I'm here to battle a friend of mine who should be here. Can I come in and check out the ranch? I want to scope out some of his team members before the battle"

Tracey glanced at him warily; he wasn't particularly inclined to be very trusting of the stranger, but it was quite clear that he was just a travelling trainer and he and the Professor worked with them all the time. "Come on. I'll take you outside."

The two proceeded outside, only for Paul to catch sight of something… interesting. First, Pokemon were splayed out across the ground everywhere. He watched Tracey leave his side and tend to a Scyther that was laid flat on its face. Secondly, he noticed craters everywhere. "Dang… what happened here?"

Misty stepped up to him. "Who are you supposed to be? If you're a trainer who wants to pick up his first Pokemon, you should really notice that the Professor is kind of busy!"

And indeed he was.

Professor Oak was busy tending to his Dragonite, who had taken many Draco Meteors before he went down. He was also attempting to comfort Delia.

"Sniff… Professor, I only wanted him to come home and stay safe! Now, he's gone forever, and still in as much danger as he was in before!"

"I know Delia, I know. We just have to hope Ash can manage himself out there…"

Back with Paul and the others, Paul had finished looking around. The ranch was huge, but it was flat, so he could see pretty much everything around him. He also noticed Brock and Dawn, so walked over to them.

"Hey! You two! The breeder and the coordinator! Is Ketchum around here?"

Brock turned around. "Paul? What are you doing here?"

"Answer the question! I want to battle him."

"Well, to put it simply, no. Everywhere he goes he is attacked by some villain or team and we almost end up getting killed because of his heroics. So we told him to retire, and he refused, so instead we forced him to leave."

Paul gaped. The raven haired boy was most notable for his ability to make friends wherever he went; for them to turn on him for such a stupid reason really annoyed him.

"First of all, it looks more like he beat you all into the ground before leaving, not like you managed to actually make him do anything. Secondly, how are you guys so DAMN SELFISH?!"

The rest of the group had started to pay attention to Paul's increasingly loud voice at this point.

"I don't claim to be Ketchum's friend; I was always a rival, nothing more, nothing less. But I've done my research and I've seen him with my own eyes, and I've even heard stories about him. This kid has saved the world time and time again."

Misty intruded, "And he puts all of us in danger when he does that!"

"Yea, but did it ever occur to you that if he refused to take that risk, you will die anyway? Legendary Pokemon have the power to destroy the world the same way they created it; nobody would be safe if Ketchum didn't intervene. And might I also point out that every story I've heard about Ketchum on my travels points out that he is always the one in the most danger? I never see or hear anyone mention you. That kid takes the most risks, yet all you people care about are yourselves. Did you even realize that he, a 16 year old kid, is literally putting his life on the line for people like you?" The traitors were starting to back up; Paul was getting increasingly annoyed with every sentence. "And all you seem to be able to worry about are your own asses! You always hang back, barely helping out and really sticking around in the background while your friend could die! I may not be the friendliest person but you people sicken me!"

May decided to step forward. "What do you even know about our adventures? We keep to ourselves and the events aren't publicized, aside from the few caught on TV!"

"I've travelled around as much as you guys have, and I'm at the same places as you pretty often. You'd be surprised about how much someone can pick up on through hearing rumors. Anyway, if Ketchum isn't here, I want nothing to do with any of you. Don't follow me."

With that, Paul turned and walked away.

* * *

Pidgeot soared through the air at supersonic speeds, Ash barely managing to hold onto her back. A massive green tree came into his sight as Pidgeot started to slow down.

"Hey, it's the Tree of Beginning! We're almost at Cameran Palace then! Ready for the tournament, buddy?"

"Pika! Pikapi!" "Yea, buddy. To be honest, I've been thinking about what the others said and they were kind of right in some spots…" Pikachu slapped Ash with his tail and looked to be about to lecture him!

"Wait! For the most part, I disagree, but I will admit that as long as I interfere with the villainous teams, I'm a target. And they will go after me." Before Pikachu could interrupt, he continued "But! I already have a solution; we train like crazy and do our best to get stronger together! The stronger we get, the easier it will be to take on the threats!" Ash grinned and gave his electric mouse a thumbs up. The Mouse Pokemon calmed down at the last statement and nodded in agreement with his trainer. Before they could continue the conversation, they were interrupted by a cry from Pidgeot.

"Pidgeot, otttoooooo!" "Got it! Land right there, in front of the palace."

Pidgeot landed directly in front of the doors, and Ash hopped off. With words of thanks, he returned Pidgeot and headed into the public courtyard of the castle. He grinned when he spotted the registration booth, then headed over to it.

"Hi, I'd like to register for the tournament."  
The man at the counter glanced up before replying with a smile, "No problem! You made it just on time; the tournament starts in about 20 minutes. Just give me your name and the six Pokemon you plan to use, since the tournament is only a series of one on one battles. At most a trainer gets six battles, so each Pokemon is only allowed to battle once."

Ash nodded; it would be hard to decide who to use, and he couldn't just walk up and pull any Poke Ball out of his backpack. He thought it over before choosing his six.

Pikachu, for sure. The mouse had been more than tough enough to handle the competition last time, and was much stronger now. He would probably be best to save for the finals.

Sceptile; one of the heaviest hitters he had on him, and a great choice for the match thanks to its speed and adaptability.

Snorlax, purely because he was the equivalent of a tank with incredible power and stamina.

Pidgeot, as he had not seen his old friend and battled together for a long time, and it would be a great way to get back in synch.

Gabite, since the tough little dragon had only recently evolved and could use some time to test out his new form.

And Quilava, who added some much needed type coverage in terms of options and hadn't gotten a good battle with him for a while.

Ash scratched down his six choices and passed the form back. "Thanks! Now, if you weren't aware, we require people to wear costumes. There is a selection in the room behind me, so go in and pick something."

Ash nodded and moved into the room. He started to sort through the clothes before he set his eyes on the Aura Guardian costume he had worn last time. "Well, it was a good fit last time, and I like it…"

Now that that was settled, Ash picked it up and moved to a changing room. On his was, however, he noticed a flash of orange on a nearby rack. He picked it up and glanced at it, then gave Pikachu an evil grin. "Pika?"

Ash snickered as he walked down the corridor to his first battle. On his shoulder, Pikachu sat in an orange mask that covered his face, a black tank top, and black and orange pants. The look may have been normal for human fighters, Ash recognizing it from a sport humans played, but it looked ridiculous on the little mouse, and he knew it. And Pikachu wasn't fighting until the finals if Ash made it that far, so he was stuck wearing it until then…

Ash walked through the tunnel and onto the battlefield. The MC started yelling,

"Welcome to the annual Cameran Palace Tournament! Normally I would use a whole bunch of filler content about how awesome the tournament will be, but I get that bores the crud out of you people, so let's get right to it! On the left side, we have John Smith, a trainer who nobody watching this cares about, and on the right, Ash Ketchum, a winner from a few years ago! Trainers, throw your Pokemon on 3! 1, 2, 3!"

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 8**


	6. To the Finals!

**Here we are! Thanks for reading as always; I didn't quite want to write an entire tournament, so I only wrote up Ash's first battle and the finals. Here is the first actual normal Pokemon battle scene I every wrote (the first two, actually). Hope you like them!**

 **Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_ Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **" _Words"_ : words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

On Ash's side, Quilava emerged from the Poke Ball and ignited his flames with a roar. "Lavaaaa!"

Ash winced as he noted the Pokemon on his opponent's side of the stadium. 'Crap, that makes things difficult…'

Opposing Quilava was a Marshtomp. Quilava couldn't have gotten a much worse matchup; his fire attacks would do close to nothing, and both of Marshtomp's elements were strong against his attacks. Still, Quilava did have a trick or two he could use; one was a potential battle changer, but to pull it off he would need lots of luck.

"Begin!"

"Quilava, open with Sunny Day!" Quilava built up a ball of glowing white energy and fired it into the air; suddenly, the amount of light and heat in the area increased drastically.

'Step one complete. Let's hope it worked.' His opponent called out. "Marshtomp, Water Gun!"

"Quilava, Flamethrower!"

The blasts of fire and water crashed into one another, but to the opponent's surprise, the Flamethrower overwhelmed the Water Gun and slammed into Marshtomp.

"How did you pull that?" the opponent whined.

"Simple: Flamethrower is a stronger move than Water Gun, Water can evaporate if it is heated up enough, and Flamethrower was made hotter by the sun. Now, Quilava, take the opportunity! Flame Wheel!"

With Marshtomp still reeling from the Flamethrower which had hit him, the Flame Wheel drove him straight into the wall and left a notable indent in it.

"Gah! Time to turn the tables! Marshtomp, Rain Dance!"

Marshtomp hauled itself out of the dent in the wall, then fired a glowing blue orb into the sky. The Sunny Day was blocked by the clouds, and rain landed on Quilava's flames, producing a hissing sound.

"Uh… try Sunny Day!" The attack flew up and through the clouds, but nothing happened.

The MC spoke. "I'm getting reports that the sun has increased in intensity outside the arena, but it seems the cloud layer is still blocking visibility here."

Ash cursed under his breath. That was the easy solution out of the way…

"Now, Hydro Pump!" "Dodge with Flame Wheel!"

Despite the power loss from Rain Dance, Quilava still had its speed; it avoided the attack with ease. "Now, fire Swift from inside the wheel!"

Stars flew out from the flame coated Volcano Pokemon and slammed into Marshtomp, immediately followed by Quilava himself. Neither attack did much damage, but they were more than enough to send Marshtomp flying. "Marshtomp, Earthquake!"

Marshtomp flipped in midair and landed with a huge crash. Quilava was too taken aback to react to Ash's command to dodge, and crumpled to the ground at the wave. "Hydro Pump!" With Quilava still getting up from Earthquake, the Hydro Pump easily made contact and sent Quilava flying into the border of the arena. His flames went out and he lay on the ground for a moment, barely conscious.

"Quilava!" The Pokemon barely hauled itself out of the hole in the wall and stood on four shaking legs.

Ash looked at it unsurely. "You still wanna fight, buddy? I don't want you to get too badly hurt, so-"Lava!"

Quilava got up and roared, reigniting his flames. He then charged forward in a Flame Wheel. "Marshtomp, catch it!"

Marshtomp promptly put his arms out and stopped the Flame Wheel, though it pushed him back; what happened next, though, was a shock. The ball of fire glowed from the inside and grew about 3 times larger; the sudden change in size caused Marshtomp to lose his balance and get knocked into the air. The Flame Wheel faded, and Quilava- no, Typhlosion- roared and got underneath the flailing Marshtomp.

Ash recognized the position and smirked. "Typhlosion! Eruption!"

The following blast of heat and what appeared to be some volcanic rock sent Marshtomp flying in the air and through the cloud layer formed by Rain Dance. Everyone stared at the cloud layer and waited. About 10 seconds later, Marshtomp flew downwards, closed eyes indicating that he was unconscious. "Pidgeot, catch him!" the bird emerged from its Poke Ball and positioned itself underneath Marshtomp within 2 seconds, managing to kick up a Gust underneath Marshtomp to slow his fall and catch him safely. The crowd cheered at this show of sportsmanship as the referee called the battle.

"Marshtomp is unable to battle! Typhlosion wins!"

After retreating to his locker room and thanking Typhlosion for a great battle (and congratulating him for evolving at last), Ash returned the Pokemon. He made a mental note to teach Typhlosion, and his other fire types for that matter, Grass Knot and/or Solarbeam. Most of them were seriously lacking in ways to deal with Water Types. And maybe some of them would like to learn Thunder Punch as well…

* * *

The rest of the battles passed without anything particularly notable happening. Sceptile ran circles around an enemy Altaria, remembering his past battle with Drake of the Elite Four and focusing on speed to overcome the type disadvantage. Ash nearly had a panic attack when his opponent used the Jigglypuff that had stalked and abused him for at least a year, but luckily, Snorlax was so used to sleeping on his own schedule that Jigglypuff was unable to put him to sleep with Sing. And as a result, an Ice Punch nailed the little Pokemon and left it frozen in a block of ice three times its own size. Pidgeot had an aerial dogfight with a Fearow; unfortunately for his opponent, he had defended the forest he lived in from a Fearow for years. He knew literally every trick the opponent's Fearow could pull off, and was a much faster flyer to boot. The opponent never stood a chance, and Ash was pretty sure that Pidgeot hadn't taken a single hit. Gabite had a bit of a rough start fighting the Rowlet he was put up against. It was a newly discovered species from some place the opponent called Alola, and its speed and attacks were slightly disorienting to Ash, who was trying to get over the shock of learning about this "Alola Region". Still, he surprised his opponent with Draco Meteor and knocked it out of the sky and in range to finish with his newly learned Dragon Claw. Luckily, he realized that Rowlet were young Pokemon given out as starters; once it was close, its defense couldn't hold up against Gabite. Then there were the finals.

* * *

Ash walked out of the usual tunnel. "Welcome to the finals!" the speakers blared! "On the right side, Ash Ketchum, who may very well be on his way to yet another immense victory! And on the left side, Don George, a dojo master from Unova here on a training trip.

The referee spoke up. "You two know the drill. One Pokemon each, no time limit. Send them out on 3. 1, 2, 3!"

Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder with joy, burning off his costume with a Thunderbolt mid-jump (a faint cry of "Pikachu, now I have to pay for that!" echoed behind him, but he ignored it) and landed on all fours, costume free and ready for battle.

On the opposing side, a blue and black jackal on two legs emerged from the energy of the Poke Ball. The Lucario stood up and prepared to fight.

"Begin!"

Ash took the initiative. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Lucario, stick a Metal Claw into the ground!"

To Ash's annoyance, the electricity flowed through Lucario into the ground. It was clear the static still affected him, but it was nowhere near as effective as he had hoped.

"Our turn! Lucario, Aura Sphere!" The glowing ball of energy flew through the air towards Pikachu. Ash had a sudden inspiration.

"Knock it back! Iron Tail!" "Big mistake!" the ball was sent backwards and flew towards Lucario for a moment, but slowed itself down and turned back towards Pikachu.

'Damn! I forgot Aura Sphere homes it on its opponents. Wait, I can use that!'

He shouted. "Pikachu, sidestep and Quick Attack towards Lucario!"

The Mouse Pokemon hopped to the side and the Aura Sphere flew past him before readjusting its trajectory and chasing him. Pikachu charged the Aura Pokemon.

"Lucario, meet him head on! Force Palm and Metal Claw together!"

Lucario's paw glowed blue and the spike on his hand glowed white and elongated. Ash watched.

'Wait for it… wait for it…' When Pikachu got close enough, he shouted. "Jump! Footstool him to get some air!"

Pikachu narrowly dodged the Metal Claw and Force Palm combination and used the speed from his Quick Attack to jump onto Lucario's head. Using it as a springboard, he launched himself into the air.

Everything went according to Ash's impromptu plan. The Aura Sphere wasn't able to change its trajectory in time and smashed into Lucario. "Volt Tail!"

Pikachu fell into a Volt Tackle and activated Iron Tail. The combination attack landed directly on Lucario, creating a massive explosion which Pikachu used to retreat to his own side of the field.

To Ash and Pikachu's shock, Lucario was still standing. "Nice Endure! Now, Close Combat with Extremespeed!"

Lucario disappeared in a blur and reappeared directly in front of the mouse. He battered Pikachu with blows before kicking him at his trainer. When Pikachu stood up, he was in pretty bad condition, but he looked more angry than anything.

"Aura Sphere!" "Let's finish this! Knock it into the air and Thunderbolt Lucario!"

Pikachu activated Iron Tail and used it like a baseball bat, sending the Aura Sphere flying into the sky. He then charged up what had become his signature attack and fired. "Piiiikaaaachuuuu!"

Lucario crumpled under the electric shock.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Pikachu wins, and Ash Ketchum is our annual Guardian again!" Ash ran onto the field and picked up Pikachu with a grin as the crowd cheered. "Knew you could do it, buddy. Great job!" "Pika!"

However, they had neglected a certain issue. The Aura Sphere Pikachu had knocked away previously remained intact. As Pikachu and Ash walked back towards the tunnel, the Sphere flew at them, having locked on to Pikachu's aura signature again. Ash saw it first; Pikachu was tired and he knew the attack would hurt him pretty badly. So he did the Ash Ketchum thing to do. Stood right in front of Pikachu. "Pikapi!"

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 9**


	7. An Injured Ash, An Annoyed Queen!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **Side note: This is a rather short chapter, so I decided on a double upload today. The other one should go up at the same moment as this one.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash was instantly rushed to Cameran Palace's infirmary. They had no idea how the energy of the sphere had affected him; and even if the energy was to be neglected, the sphere had still crashed into him at a very high velocity. It would at least leave bruises, if not breaking a bone. And what was more concerning was that his body was glowing a faint shade of blue…

Queen Ilene stood outside the room Ash Ketchum had been put in with a worried look. She remembered the young man and his heroics quite well; how he and his Pokemon had saved the palace and the kingdom last time, working with Sir Aaron's Lucario to prevent a catastrophe from striking as they worked to uncover the truth behind Lucario's past and rescuing Pikachu from the wayward Mew. Mew may not have meant any harm, but his actions caused a lot more trouble that they should have… Ash managed to take the Aura Sphere quite well given the fact that he was a human; he was almost unnaturally tough, the Queen noted. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't worried about him. She owed the young hero a debt and he had proven he had a great heart.

A nurse emerged from the room, and Queen Ilene approached her. "Is the child all right?"

The nurse nodded hesitantly, rather surprised at being directly spoken to by someone as high up as the queen herself. "In terms of the physical impact, he is fine, if not abnormally tough. That kind of thing should have broken a few bones, but at most seems like the kid has some bruises. I wish I could explain."

Queen Ilene held back a laugh before realizing exactly what the nurse had said. "Wait, in terms of the physical impact?"

"Well, the blue tint that seemed to affect him is still present… We have a theory. For some odd reason, part of the Aura Sphere that struck Mr. Ketchum was absorbed into his own body. But that aura should have faded out a long time ago; that tint should have faded when the aura did!" The nurse was somewhat hysterical at this point.

"Well, I supposed we just have to wait until he wakes up…"

* * *

Pikachu wandered around the castle courtyard. None of the team, including him, were allowed to see Ash yet, and it angered them to no end. Not that there was much they could do about it, but it didn't make him any less angry that he was being held back from seeing his friend.

In the rush to get Ash to the infirmary, the medical staff had even forgotten to let the rest of the team out of their Poke Balls. So if anything, the others were still confined wondering when the heck Ash would let them out and congratulate them for their tournament performance.

He climbed up onto a window and overheard some talking through his sensitive ears.

"sphere… absorbed… tint should have faded"

The Mouse Pokemon should his head, trying to make sense of the words. What had that sphere done to his friend?

He leapt from the window with a determined look and sprinted around the yard, using Quick Attack to assist him, and he managed to find an open window. Jumping inside, to the shock of some of the castle employees, he ran through the halls, blindly hoping to find Ash.

* * *

"Queen Ilene. You can come see the boy now if you wish."

The Queen nodded to the nurse as the door to Ash's room was opened. She was surprised; as the nurse has said, very little looked physically wrong with him. It was pretty clear that he was insanely, almost unnaturally resistant. That blue tint, however, if anything, had gotten brighter.

Suddenly, she heard some commotion in the outside halls.

"Your highness! Look-"

A small yellow mouse leapt through the door and onto Ash's bed. The Queen stared.

"Aren't you Ash's Pikachu? Where have you been, I expected you to be with him the whole time?"

"Pika! Pikapi, Pika chu chu!" The wild gestures the mouse made were tough to interpret, but the Queen got the gist of it.

"They didn't let you come in? Stupid guards… probably thought you were a risk to him or to me. Whatever. You can absolutely feel free to stay here for the time being."

The guards who had just arrived at the door and had begun to complain shut up at the uncharacteristic glare of the normally quiet queen. It seemed Queen Ilene was not always so soft spoken…

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 10**


	8. New Plan To the Tree!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **Enjoy this dual upload, as both chapters today are on the short side and are mainly fillers.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash groaned as he opened his eyes. The initial rush of light nearly blinded him, but he focused enough to see two blurs; one yellow, and the other pink with a hint of gold. "Pikachu? Buddy?"

The yellow blur focused into the shape of his best friend. " _Ash!_ " The mouse bounded to him with a leap of joy.

"I missed you too buddy!" The mouse gave him a look of guilt. "I get it; you're probably upset about the thing with the Aura Sphere. I'm fine now! Nothing to worry about!"

Pikachu looked at him skeptically. " _Your entire body is glowing blue!"_

"What do you mean my body is glowing blue?"

Pikachu gave him a dumbfounded look. " _Wait, did you just understand exactly what I said? Like, word for word?_ "

Ash started. "I think I did! Wow! This is awesome, buddy! I mean, I kind of knew what you were saying before-I got used to reading you expressions- but this is great!"

"Ash, I'm glad you're happy," Ash glanced over and just now noticed Queen Ilene, "but your condition is still rather concerning. The doctors have theorized that your body absorbed the Aura Sphere that hit you somehow. So that glow around you makes sense, but in time, it should have faded. Instead, it has grown brighter!"

Pikachu spoke, " _Is Aura letting you hear me? Never did that before... Wow, this is awesome! I can finally talk to you! Now you can finally understand my desires for ketchup instead of just assuming I'm hungry for regular food!"_ Ash smiled. " _But_ _the Queen is right. Your hands are a lot brighter than when you first first hit by that sphere..."_

Ash's eyes widened, and he finally looked down at his hands to see them glowing blue with an untapped power.

"Hmmm…. Wonder if this has to do with me being able to use Aura. I'm supposed to be able to control it like Sir Aaron was… Wait, buddy, I have an idea! Queen, you may want to hear this one as well."

When he had their attention, Ash spoke. "Sir Aaron and Lucario gave their lives since they attempted to restore the Tree of Beginning and depleted their Aura. I always wondered why, since when I helped Lucario, it hurt, but not that badly, and I was sure it would hurt less if I was actually trained in Aura use."

"Wait! You tried to help Lucario restore the tree!? Ash, that was reckless!" Queen Ilene looked quite shaken.

"Well, it worked out okay in the end, but here is my theory. Sir Aaron and Lucario used Aura constantly; maybe they ran low as a result, and didn't have as much as they needed to safely restore the tree. But my Aura, which is supposed to be similar to theirs, has been building up ever since that time at the tree; I never used it since, except one time in Sinnoh in really tiny amounts. If my Aura stores are enough, I may be able to pump enough Aura into Lucario and Aaron to revive them!"

The Queen gasped; it certainly seemed possible, but there were way too many theoreticals…

"Ash, I would love to see the two heroes restored, but we don't know enough about your condition to release you. And even if we did, you are not yet well versed enough in Aura to control it; maybe if you were trained a little, it could work, but you want to go in blind!"  
Ash nodded. "True, but I have worked with Aura a little before. I am able to exert it, and that is all I need. Queen Ilene, after everything Lucario did, I cannot in good faith leave him in that tree in stasis. I have to try, and I can already feel right now that I am so supercharged with Aura that I can access it at will. It has to be done!"

The Queen sighed; it seemed she wouldn't be able to change the boy's mind. "Okay Ash, but at least let a doctor or nurse check you to see if you are physically okay. After that, you can move."

* * *

After being checked out by the doctor, Ash had headed to the palace balcony often used by the Queen and released Pidgeot. The bird started at his glowing form. " _Ash! What happened to the tournament, and why are you blue?"_

"Long story Pidgeot; apparently an absorbed Aura Sphere can make me glow blue. We won the tournament, but I have to do something. Can you take me to that tree in the distance? The Tree of Beginning?"

" _Did you just understand me?"_

"My guess is that it has something to do with the glowing, but yea. I can understand you."

 _"Okay... weirder things have happened. Hop on, let's go!"_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 10**


	9. Scaling the Tree! Lucario's Return!

**Sorry I didn't upload earlier; I was busy most of the day, so I only had the chance to upload now, super early on the 12th rather than the 11th. Another chapter should still go up today though.**

 **Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Pidgeot touched down at the foot of the Tree. "Thanks Pidgeot. Return."

The red beam lanced out of the Poke Ball and enveloped Pidgeot, pulling him back inside in the form of energy. Pikachu hopped onto the still glowing shoulder of his trainer. " _Ready to do this, Ash?"_

Ash nodded, digging into his backpack. "Yea, I am. I made sure to bring these to help me out." He dug a pair of blue gloves with crystals embedded in the palms. Pikachu looked at them closely.

 _"Sir Aaron's gloves? Where did you get those?"_

"Turns out the castle guards checked out the tree after our little adventure." Pikachu snorted at the word little. "They found these when they explored the tree, but the second they got these the Regi trio knocked them out and I guess Mew teleported them back to the castle."

Pikachu paled. " _Oh, crap! We still have to deal with those golems! Last time we had Lucario, who had years of war training and a super effective attack! What are we supposed to do?"_

Ash sighed. "You're overthinking it buddy. Typhlosion for Regice and Registeel, your Iron Tail for Regirock. And we only need to stall; they're super slow, so we stall them and outrun them. When we find Mew, she can tell them we mean no harm, and we don't even have to worry about them."

Pikachu thought it over for a bit before giving Ash a thumbs up.

The two started to scale the Tree of Beginning.

 _"Ash! You made this sound so much easier!"_ "Well I thought it would be a lot easier!" _CLANG!_

Pikachu's Iron Tail smashed into Regirock, and he used the recoil to springboard towards Ash, launching a Thunderbolt in mid-air to slow down the Rock Peak Pokemon further. Behind them, Snorlax body slammed Regice and Typhlosion blew fire at Registeel.

"Besides, it looks like it's worki-" he was abruptly cut off by the sound of a Flash Cannon sending Typhlosion flying. He turned around and returned Typhlosion before he could crash into the ground, only to be forced to turn around again to return Snorlax, who Regice had frozen in a block of ice before smashing him aside with a Zap Cannon.

Ash continued his sprint with Pikachu right on his tail; he leapt to the side when Regice used Rock Tomb, forming a pillar of earth in front of him. He was forced to dodge around numerous pillars of rock on his way up, with Pikachu simply using Volt Tackle to cannon through them.

As an Ice Beam soared over his head, Ash glared; "Okay, this is getting out of hand. Sceptile, get out here!" The Forest Pokemon emerged from his ball. "Frenzy Plant!" The resulting mass growth of brown vines with spikes blocked all of the golems. They started to cut through the vines, but it was quite clear it would hold them back for some time. "Perfect, Sceptile! Take a break in case we need you later!" With that, Ash returned Sceptile. Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder and they continued to sprint towards the chamber of the tree where old heroes lay.

The hero and his mouse made it into the interior chambers of the tree, slipping into a cave entrance. "See, buddy, that went okay!" _Slap!_

Pikachu slapped Ash in the back of the head with his tail before shaking his head. _"Let's just get to Mew. Lucky we don't have to deal with those blobs this time…"_

Ash shrugged to his partner before continuing to walk towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

The two emerged into a bright environment, full of crystals and open to daylight. "Hey, I remember this place! This is where we found each other last time!" Ash gave his partner a fond look. The feeling was mutual; the two were so close they were practically family, and being reunited like that was one of the best and most relieving feelings they had felt.

" _If I recall correctly, Mew lives somewhere up at the top of this canyon. But we can't climb it, so we should probably keep moving…"_

"Not quite. I may be a bit of an idiot, but there's a reason I have Pidgeot besides just wanting to reconnect. She should be able to get us to Mew in an instant."

Ash pulled out a Poke Ball and released his oldest Flying type. " _Yes Ash?"_

Ash spoke, "Pidgeot, can I get some help! We need to get to the top of this canyon, but it's impossible to jump."

Pikachu looked at him skeptically. " _Weren't you jumping around the pillars last time we were here?"_ "Uhhh… adrenaline?"

Pidgeot interrupted the banter. " _Either way, I can get you up there. Hop on!"_

Pidgeot emerged from the top of the crater and soared around in the open air atop the tree. Ash took the opportunity to look around, trying to spot a certain hyperactive pink ball of fur. Only for said blur to teleport right in front of his face. " _Hi!"_

Pidgeot started and lost his flight path momentarily, but managed to level out and stay in the air. He gave the pink ball of fur the evil eye as he came down for a landing.

"Mew, that was dangerous!" Ash scolded the small pink cat, who didn't really seem to care at all.

"Ugh… insane little cat…" he muttered. He didn't hate Mew, but it has caused him lots of trouble and many near misses. And one must consider he didn't even remember that incident with Mewtwo; it certainly wouldn't help the way he thought about the pink ball of fur. He shook his head. Right, he had a purpose in being here.

"Mew! I need you to take me to the chamber! I think I've stored up enough aura to revive Sir Aaron and Lucario!" The cat turned its head to the side cutely before nodding and flying to its left. Ash grinned and he and Pikachu ran after the cat.

* * *

The three walked into the chamber, Ash pausing in awe to observe the crystals all around him. Over time, it seemed the cave formed new crystals, for Sir Aaron and Lucario were now resting together in one large crystal which preserved their physical bodies.

Pikachu looked at Ash worriedly, " _You sure you can handle this Ash? You know what happens if you use too much aura."_ "We've been over this, Pikachu. I have plenty of aura to spare. Just gotta make sure to do it right."

With that, Ash pulled on Sir Aaron's old gloves and pointed his hands at the crystal. He strained himself, and blue energy formed at his hands. It grew in side, beginning to resemble an Aura Sphere. Ash grunted with the strain of manipulating the Aura as his reserves grew smaller and smaller. The blue tint vanished from his body as h used up all of the excess aura to form the massive sphere. Eventually, a pulse of what appeared to be some sort of electrical Aura flowed over his body. He grunted and thought to himself, 'Guess that's gotta be it."

With a shout, he shoved the aura directly into the crystal.

The crystal lit up in a beautiful blue glow, and before the eyes of an exhausted Ash, an awe-struck Pikachu, and an interested Mew, the crystal disintegrated. However, only half of it faded; Lucario's half melted away while the half containing Aaron remained solid. Ash glanced up and released Sceptile, who managed to catch the form of Lucario as he fell forward. "Why is Sir Aaron still inside the crystal?" he wondered.

Mew drifted down towards him, face uncharacteristically covered in sorrow, " _It seems that Aaron has been in stasis for too long. His body may be preserved, but his soul has all but moved on. You cannot revive him with aura, or by any other means. I'm sorry Ash, but it appears that he is gone. Nothing can change that."_

Ash nodded in understanding, eyes downcast. Neither he nor anyone of his time period had ever met Aaron, but his visions of the Time Flowers had given him an idea of how heroic and caring the man once was. He spotted a Time Flower nearby and carried it over to the crystal. Laying it at the foot of the crystal, he whispered "Rest in peace" before he motioned to the Pokemon and they all left the cave.

He opened his eyes and winced at the sudden flood of light. He shook his head to clear it and opened his eyes more slowly this time. The figure looking down at him became clearer. _Ash?_ Ash shook his head at the noise before remembering Lucario used telepathy. "Hey Lucario! Glad to see you awake! How are you feeling?"

Lucario shook himself again and pushed himself to his feet and out of the arms holding him. _Thank you,_ he projected to the Sceptile who had helped him out. The Pokemon nodded before he continued. _I feel well, but how am I still here? Did I not fade when I used up my Aura?_

"Funny story… it's a few years later. An accident helped remind me that my Aura has been charging for a few years now and that I had enough to recharge you and Aaron without killing myself." He winced. "Still hurt though… I'm pretty tired."

 _Well, I must thank you. But what of Sir Aaron? Did the Aura not revive him?_

Pikachu decided to explain. " _Sorry Lucario. According to Mew, Aaron has been gone for far too long; his soul has basically moved on, and no amount of Aura can revive him even though his body remains preserved in the crystal."_ The jackal looked down at his feet to mask the look of sorrow that passed over his face. It had been a bit much to hope for, he knew.

 _May I ask why you revived me? My time has passed, and while I am certainly glad to be among the living and among my friends, I see no purpose for myself._

Ash shrugged. "When my Aura went haywire, the first thing I thought of doing was coming to get you. It was sort of just a spontaneous thought; you're my friend and I knew I could use the Aura to help you out, so I did." Ash stopped and thought for a second, but then he blinked and grinned. "But hey! Now that you're here, maybe you can help me out!"

Lucario looked at his inquisitively. _What do you suggest?_

Ash smiled. "Well, it just occurred to me that it couldn't hurt to learn how to use my Aura. I get into tons of tough situations and if I have the ability to use my Aura, it could help me out a lot."

Lucario thought it over before nodded. _Very well. I will train you; in turn, I offer you my services as a partner."_

Ash started. "Wait, you want to join my team?"

 _There is little left for me of my old life. As such, it would be best for me to start a new one, and you are certainly the person of this era who I know best. As such, I ask to make you my new Master._

"Lucario… what have we said about the title Master…"

 _Ah, apologies. I believe, in that case, I would like to work beside you as a partner and a friend. Do you accept?_ The Aura Pokemon looked uncharacteristically nervous. It was clear that this was a little unfamiliar to him.

"Of course! I never try to turn down a friend! Give me a minute or so to rest and I will get you a Poke Ball. Oh, right. Pikachu, did you make sure to short out the Pokedex so he won't get sent back to Oak?"

When Pikachu nodded, Lucario inquired. _I understood from last time that Oak was a friend? Why should I not be sent back to him?_ Ash's expression grew dark, and Lucario shuddered. That look really didn't seem to fit in the image of Ash he and everyone who knew the boy had. _Did I ask something wrong?_

"No, Lucario, I just don't really like to talk about it. I suppose it is only fair that I catch you up…"

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 12**


	10. An Old Friend and a Mysterious Message!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **Fun little note. This will be an Amour fic; however, if you don't like the ship then don't worry too much! It is strictly a secondary part of the story, and the main focus will still be almost entirely on Ash and his battles. Serena is present most of the time, but usually acts as more of a companion or background figure; it is not often that much of the shipping actually comes into play.**

 **That being said, for those of you that do like the ship, there are still some nice moments between the two, maybe not in this chapter but in future ones. Enjoy!**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

 _Ah, I see. That is… disappointing to say the least._ Lucario spoke to the others through telepathy. _I had believed that Brock, May, and Max were capable of better judgement. I apologize; it must have been hard for you to go through._

Ash nodded, still looking annoyed but clearly having calmed down. "Yea… it wasn't easy. Although to be honest I didn't see Max or a few of my old companions or rivals with them, so I'm still holding out with some hope that I have some supporters left."

He shook his head. "Anyway, it's not all bad. It feels great to be independent on not being held back anymore, and the one tournament I've entered since I left I won easily, so it's a pretty good sign. But on to more important things."

He pulled a Poke Ball from his belt and offered it to Lucario. The Aura Pokemon glanced at it for a moment before reaching out and tapping it gently. The ball converted him into energy and absorbed him, snapping shut and indicating a successful capture with no resistance. Ash smiled at the ball, knowing it contained a new teammate and ironically, his new trainer. "Well Mew, it's been nice. I better head back to Rota before the castle staff start to worry."

With that, Ash released Pidgeot from his ball, hopped on, and made to take off.

However Mew decided it would be a great time to spontaneously mess with Ash. In a flash, Ash, Pidgeot, and Pikachu were teleported away.

* * *

The trio materialized inside the throne room of the castle in midair. Pidgeot managed to level out and stay in the air, but Pikachu and Ash tumbled off him and crashed into the floor.

" _Owwww…"_ "Damn that Mew…"

Trainer and Pokemon pulled themselves off the floor and looked at the throne, where Queen Ilene and her staff were looking on with mixtures of amusement and surprise. "Uh… hi?"

Ash wandered the courtyard, pondering what to do next. It had been some time since he had abruptly arrived back at the castle, but the Queen and doctors had declared him fit to do what he wanted, since he was physically okay and the tint had faded, though it seemed his Aura was still active since he could understand his team. He sighed; the ball that celebrated the Guardian was tonight, and he wasn't sure if he would enjoy it. Last time, he had friends with him. Still, it was a mandatory thing, so it wasn't like he could get out of it…

Ash sat on the chair he was provided in the costume he wore during the tournament.

"And now I present our Guardian this year! Ash Ketchum!" the Queen announced.

Ash followed the customary gesture and assumed the Hero's Pose, lifting Sir Aaron's staff above his head. His natural resemblance to Aaron, the fact that he was holding the staff, and that fact that Lucario was right next to him all ensured that he looked very similar to the actual Aaron.

"Now, all are free to enjoy the ball! Dance, eat, enjoy yourselves!" the Queen exclaimed with a smile.

Ash muttered something under his breath as he remained seated and complained about wanting food. The Queen's aide smacked him.

An hour into the ball, the aide whispered to him. "Ash? Hello?"

The guardian replied… with a snore? Ash's head lolled over, revealing he was asleep.

The aide rolled her eyes and called to Pikachu. She gestured to Ash, and the mouse Pokemon sighed before releasing a Thunderbolt. Ash awoke instantly, yelling. "Damn you, Pikachu." _"Love you too"_

"Mr. Ketchum! You need to listen! There is a new policy here at the ball for the guardian! It states that you must join in some of the dances."

Ash paled. "Uh, I can't dance. At all." "Well, better learn on the spot. I heard that's how you do your best in battles anyway." "Wait!"

She shoved him onto the dance floor.

"Ah!" Ash stumbled onto the dance floor, muttering curses under his breath directed towards the aide.

He cringed as expectant looks were thrown his way and adjusted the big blue hat of his costume before looking around nervously. He was prepared to call out Pidgeot and make a hasty escape- until a hand grabbed his own and pulled him onto the floor.

He sweatdropped and made to pull away before the unknown figure giggled. "Don't you recognize me?"

Ash whipped around and stared directly at the figure; he knew that voice well. The tall, slender figure of Serena filled his vision, wearing the red dress she once wore at the ball where her Eevee evolved into Sylveon.

"Serena! I thought you were in Hoenn!" a confused Ash stated.

"Well hello to you as well, Ash! And thanks for not recognizing me, AGAIN!" Serena pouted and Ash fumbled for the right apology to use. "But here's the thing. I went to Hoenn and realized a small issue. Contests have a battling stage, which Performances don't have at all. My team is pretty strong, but it's not built for battling, and I realized that to take on Contests effectively, I need to train, and that means taking a more battle related route. So I decided to head to Kanto, since I knew it was where you started out and I wanted to see the place. I figured it made more sense that doing Hoenn Gyms and then retraveling Hoenn for Ribbons. And imaging my surprise when I come to this tournament too late to register only to see your name on the roster!"

Ash blushed; she sounded really happy to see him, and he hadn't quite forgotten what had happened last time he saw here. Although he agreed to stay and help Greninja and Zygarde, they had all decided he should go with the group to say goodbye to Serena. The kiss on the escalator had caught him completely off guard, yet was one of the best sensations of his life. He had plenty of time to reflect on his journey when he was with Zygarde, and he realized that the hints she dropped about liking him were actually pretty obvious.

Serena noticed the blush and blushed herself before speaking. "Anyway, it's great to see you again. Let's dance!"

Ash and his old friend danced the night away, although the irritated duo spotted Pikachu and Braxien off to the side making rather… suggestive gestures. Blushes adorned both their faces, but they kept on dancing and enjoyed it immensely; seemed Ash was able to instinctually pick up on how to dance with Serena guiding him. Eventually, the songs ended and the two slid out of the hall before he Queen's aide could pull Ash back into the chair.

The two headed to the outside courtyard, Ash sprinting ahead with a grin. "Haha, Serena, you're too slow!"

An angry Serena chased after him. "Take it back!"

Ash, being the unnaturally fast and strong teenager, had literally no trouble whatsoever keeping away from her, and even had the nerve to run a few circles around her before she got tired and sat down.

The raven-haired trainer joined her and sat on the edge of a fountain with her. Small splashes of water washes over them.

"So, Ash, why are you out here? I would have thought you would have followed your usual routine of going home and heading to another region within a few days. Were you trying to redo the Kanto League or something?"

And as per the norm now, Ash's expression grew dark and angry. The usual explanation that followed turned Serena pale.

"Oh my God! Ash, I'm so sorry! I wish I had been there to tell them off and help you!" She looked very upset; Ash hurried to comfort her.

"No, no! You never could have seen it coming, especially since even I had no clue it was going to happen. Trust me, it's completely okay that you weren't there; I'm just happy that you're still standing by me."

Serena lifted her head, still visibly upset, but nodded. She would be okay given time, and it wasn't like much seemed to be wrong with Ash at the moment anyway. He seemed… more angry, but that seemed restrained to when he was with them. Besides that, his Pokemon were his best friends, and they seemed to keep him happy.

Ash scrunched up his forehead in thought. "It's great to see you again Serena, but what are you doing now? You don't have to do the gym challenge, since you can train with me if you want, but I don't really have a goal in place at the moment…"

Serena looked up and began to answer before a massive gust of wind blew down at the two of them. Ash leapt up with a Poke Ball in his hand and ready to throw it.

It turned out to be unnecessary. The Dragonite that landed merely reached into a satchel it was holding and held out a letter, offering it to Ash. The trainer, still war but now curious, accepted. The Dragon Pokemon nodded at him and the girl behind, then stood and looked at Ash expectantly.

Serena glanced at the envelope. "What is that?"

"Beats me. But it looks like Dragonite wants me to open it now." Ash shrugged before tearing open the envelope and looking it over.

 _Mr. Ketchum,_

 _As a result of numerous factors, I request your immediate presence at the Indigo Plateau. Do not worry; you have done nothing wrong. Rather, we feel that we may have an opportunity for you over here and would like to meet with you to discuss it in person. If you are able to make it, please tell Dragonite; his trainer is more than capable of understanding him, so a simple verbal answer will suffice. Thank you for your time, and we at the Pokemon League hope to see you soon._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Charles Goodshow_

 _Pokemon League President_

A note was attached underneath the letter.

 _Ash,_

 _Sorry about the formalities; that's a scripted letter I have to send to any prospects. You know me, and you know that's not me. Anyway, we have a great opportunity for you over here, so I really hope you can make it!_

 _C. Goodshow_

Ash finished reading the letter and passed it to Serena before looking at the Dragonite, who was still waiting. He gestured for the Dragonite to wait another second before turning to Serena, who had finished her reading.

"Wonder what this is about… Are you going to do it, Ash?" Serena asked. "It could be something big!"

Ash rubbed his forehead. "I'm not really sure. I don't really have anything better to do, and I am curious, but I was really thinking about taking it slow for a while to recover from my loss in Kalos; that's why I came to Rota instead of going for a big tournament. I'm not sure I'm ready…"

Serena shook her head. "You listen here Ash Ketchum! You. Are. Strong. I believe in you, your Pokemon believe in you, and the friends that didn't betray you, I can virtually guarantee, believe in you also! Have faith in your own talents and give it your all! Whatever this is, you can handle it."

At Ash's unsure look, she sighed. Drastic measures were required, no matter how embarrassing it was… oh well. She stepped up to Ash and kissed him. The teen's eyes widened and he looked thoughtful before he pressed back. Serena held the kiss, squealing on the inside; he kissed back! As per the human anatomy, the need for air forced them to separate, and Serena stepped back a little.

Ash put two fingers on his lips, feeling them; something just felt new, different. That felt way better than he would have expected… He looked at Serena, who was blushing like a tomato.

"That enough to show you that I have faith in you?" she quipped. Ash smiled. "You know what… I think it is. Dragonite?" The Pokemon perked up. "The answer is yes." The Dragon Pokemon nodded before flying off at high speeds.

Ash turned back to Serena. "And for the record, I like you as well. I tend to be a bit dense on this stuff, but even I can pick up on a message as direct as that, and something has always felt different about you." Before Serena could start squealing on the inside, Ash spoke once again. "Serena, will you come with me to the Plateau? We can train together and grow as a team."

Serena didn't need to give it a second though. "I'm in!"

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 12**


	11. Challenge Revealed!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **Sorry for not uploading yesterday; kind of got caught up in day to day stuff. Next chapter (tomorrow) is really hype though, and has the first really epic battle. Stay tuned!**

 **Plus, this chapter is a bit longer than usual; hope it makes up for it.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash's Pidgeot touched down outside of the massive Indigo Stadium. "Thanks, Pidgeot." Ash said, hopping off its back. He helped Serena down, since she looked a little sick to her stomach.

"You okay?" Serena nodded before standing up shakily. "Not used to going so fast. But I'll be fine. It wasn't that bad. Sorry if you're offended Pidgeot; it has nothing to do with you, I'm just not that used to flying in general."

The bird gave her an understanding nod before squawking at Ash. " _Ash, why are we here to begin with."_ Pikachu nodded. _"You haven't even told me, which is quite an interesting choice."_

Ash shook his head at his curious teammates. "Sorry guys, but I can't tell you." The two started to protest before he interrupted them. "Hold on, that's not what I meant. I mean even I don't know why I have to be here. The letter didn't tell me." Serena looked enviously at Ash's ability to understand his Pokemon; he translated for her, but it wasn't the same. She jumped as she heard a popping sound.

Another Poke Ball on Ash's belt burst open, the energy pooling into the form of Lucario. Ash had switched his active roster a bit, opting to swag out Typhlosion and give him some time to adjust to his new form. Plus, he wanted to get better used to Lucario as a teammate rather than knowing him from a one-time alliance they had literally made years ago. Typholsion's Poke Ball was thus in its inactive state, and Lucario's was now active.

 _You don't know why? Could it be a trap?_ The telepathy was projected to both Ash and his traveling companion. "Lucario, don't worry. Remember, this modern era isn't a time of war. You don't need to be on edge constantly."

Lucario notably sagged before nodding. _I apologize. After living in a time of great disorder and conflict for the majority of my lime, I'm certain you understand how hard it is to lose my old habits._ Ash nodded. "Don't worry Lucario. You'll get used to it eventually. Want to walk with us?"

Lucario nodded. _The Poke Ball is not entirely uncomfortable, but it does remind me of the staff. I can tolerate it, but it is more decidedly not comfortable._

Ash nodded. "Okay, I'll keep you out unless necessary. Let's head to the office. Serena, you okay to move?"  
The Performer had stopped shaking and was finally able to stand firmly. "Yea Ash, I'm all set to get moving." "Okay, let's head inside. Wonder what's next…"

* * *

"Please wait here, Mr. Ketchum. We will call you in shortly. Your guest may remain with you." The receptionist who seated Ash and Serena then walked back to the desk near the entrance of the building. Pikachu sat on Ash's head and Lucario sat on the floor next to the couch to meditate.

"Ash, any idea what this could be about yet? I know the letter didn't say anything, but I wondered if you had any ideas yet." Serena spoke. Ash turned to speak back.

"Not really. I mean, he could be offering me a chance to challenge the Elite Four or something, but I don't think I can do that just yet…"

Serena shook her head. It seemed Ash was determined to annoy her today. "Ash, you are a really powerful trainer. I get that Elites are on an entirely different level, but your Greninja went toe to toe with Diantha's Gardevoir and even forced it to Mega Evolve! I'm pretty certain the stronger members of your team can take on the Elite Four."

Ash shrugged back, and Serena sighed. If anything, Ash's friends telling him he was a target had weakened his faith in himself. If she had to guess, he probably thought he was too weak to protect them, and that probably translated to being too weak in general…

"Mr. Ketchum! You're being called!" The receptionist was gesturing towards a door.

Ash tensed up, but pulled himself up and found Serena's hand, grasping it with his own. Lucario hopped to his feet and Pikachu moved onto Ash's shoulder from his head. The four headed into the door.

"Hello Ash." The teen stared at the two figures sitting behind the desk. He had expected Goodshow, but for Lance, the Johto Champion, to be here as well was a surprise to say the least. Serena, on the other hand, had little idea what was going on. "Ash, why are we meeting with some dude in a cap and a thin version of Santa?" she whispered.

Ash managed to hold back his laughter before he turned and explained to Serena who they were. Charles Goodshow was the president of the Pokemon League and sponsored it in every region. Ash hadn't seen him at Kalos for some reason, but he was the person who organized that as well.

And the figure in the cape was someone Ash had idolized as a child. Lance the Dragon Tamer, an immensely powerful member of the Kanto Elite Four who trained Dragon Type Pokemon and also served as the Champion for the Johto Region. It suddenly occurred to Ash that the Dragonite that had given him the message must have been Lance's famed partner in battles.

After Ash quickly muttered a condensed version of that information to Serena, he turned back to the two high profile people behind the desk. "Hey Mr. Goodshow! Hey Lance! It's been a long time!"

The redhead in the black cloak gave Ash a stern nod. "Good to see you too Ash. You've grown; Diantha told me about the battle with your Greninja."

Mr. Goodshow nodded. "We have been watching your progress, Ash, and we are glad to see that you have come as far as we expected and perhaps even further. That's why we've called you here today. We have an offer. Please sit down and hear us out"

The two humans and 2 Pokemon sat in the seats in front of the desk.

Lance smiled before clearing his throat. "Ash Ketchum, I would like to officially extend to you an invitation to become an Elite 4 Member. Do you accept this challenge?"

Ash started. "Wait, what?! I thought you might possibly tell me I could challenge the Elite Four, but you're saying I can join them? What's going on?"

"Well Ash, the rules for Elite Four challenges are very strict. Even I cannot overrule it and allow someone who hasn't won a League to compete." Goodshow replied. "However, we have noted that due to various issues regarding luck and the fact that you seem to hold back in your battles, you have not won one." "Held back?" "Right. If you really wanted to destroy your opponents and were in the league solely for the purpose of winning, you simply would have used your Charizard in every match. That you didn't shows that you value the art of battle over the act of simply winning, and we admire that. As such, while we cannot give you a challenge we did want to give you something. So your respect for battle, your amazing team, your clearly demonstrated love for Pokemon- next time, by the way, you may want to think of an alternate course to jumping off a tower- and your record of helping save the world and dealings with legendary Pokemon, we decided you are overqualified to be an elite. Before we do anything, are you willing to accept the nomination?"

Ash thought it over; this was a really big decision to make. It could be a future lifetime career; plus, if he became an elite, it was likely criminal groups would be too scared to attack him anymore, and he could prove himself as safe to his former friends. Not that he really wanted to reconnect with them anyway…

He turned to Serena. "Serena, what do you think?" "I don't know Ash, this is a pretty big deal. But if you think this is what you want, then who am I to stop you from going for it? It's a big decision for sure, but I know you and I'm willing to bet you want to spend the rest of your life as a Pokemon Trainer with a team you love and a family, which I hope I can be a part of by the way." She winked as Ash blushed and stuttered. "But if you want something like this, this is a great opportunity."

Ash looked to Pikachu and Lucario. "What about you two?"

Pikachu spoke first. " _Do it, Ash! This is a major step towards your dream and a great opportunity for use to get stronger! We can gain so much, and it will be awesome! We all win! You get a job and get closer to us, Serena trains with you to help you out and she gets stronger, and all of us- the Pokemon- get stronger and closer to you! I say we go for it!"_

Lucario then spoke, projecting his telepathy so it reached everyone in the room. _It certainly sounds feasible. I may not know exactly what an Elite Four member is, but I presume he or she is a high profile trainer?_ When Lance and Goodshow nodded, he continued. _It seems to contribute to your goal, and myself and the others are more than willing to help. I also recommend you do it._

Lance looked interested. "Where did you learn to speak with telepathy?" _It is not telepathy, so to speak; I emulate the effects of telepathy by projecting my thoughts outwards through aura. For all intent and purposes it is essentially telepathy, but there is nothing special that lets me do it; any Lucario or Riolu can if they master Aura sufficiently._

Lance nodded before turning back to Ash. "Back on topic; are you willing to accept the nomination?"

Ash looked around at his team. Pikachu gave him a thumbs up. Lucario nodded at him with a serene, calming look. And Serena placed her hand on his and squeezed. He steeled himself and looked Lance in the eyes. "Yes."

Lance smiled. "Excellent. You are now a nominee. Now, do you know about the trial procedure?" A confused glance was the only answer he received. "I'm going to take that as a no. Anyway, prepare yourself, maybe take notes. This will be a long presentation."

Ash pulled out Dexter. The Pokedex had long been disconnected from Professor Oak's database courtesy of Pikachu hacking it with electrical pulses, but was still fully functional. "Dexter, record starting now." The Pokedex beeped and began to record.

Goodshow took over the speech. "Okay, the trial to become an Elite Four is not particularly complicated. That isn't to say it is easy, but it is not particularly complex or hard to understand. Normally, an Elite needs to seek out a Legendary Pokemon of their specialty and battle it. If they win in a 1 on 1 battle, they are seen as worthy to be accepted as an Elite. If it takes 2 Pokemon, we consider them based on other traits. Any more than that and they are declared to not have the strength required. You, however, are a special case. This has to do with your variety of Pokemon. Throughout your travels, you have at least one Pokemon for every element. As such, we formulated a special challenge for you." Lance took a breath and continued.

"It would be ludicrous to expect you to battle a Legend of each element, let alone find them, so rather, we will consider this. The three base elements, fire, water, and grass. And the relevant, yet somewhat more basic elements, electricity and air. To be considered for full Elite Four certification, you must find and defeat a legendary of each of these types, meaning Fire, Grass, Water, Electric, and Flying. You can't double dip, like fighting Moltres and saying it counts for both fire and flying. As you are a unique case, we also decided that you absolutely must defeat a legend with **only one Pokemon.** And in light of your difficult challenge, we decided it is okay for you to take as long as you need to complete this challenge. How you find the legendaries is up to you; as long as you provide a recording of acceptable quality showcasing your battle and a victory, it is okay. One more thing; if you find that you lose to one legendary of a certain type, you may not challenge it again, but if you so choose you may search for another of the element. So if you were to fight Moltres for the fire requisite and lose, you could go fight Entei for it instead. You only become completely disqualified if you lose to all the available legends of the element. And that, my friend, is the challenge."

"Damn." Ash spoke. That challenge sounded all but impossible. How was he, a humble teenage trainer, supposed to hunt down, battle, and defeat 5 different Legendary Pokemon in single combat? It was rough.

"Well Ash, that's all you need to know. Everything you do from now on is up to you. And just a heads up; I know that you have done tasks like this in the past, but you cannot use those. You need to fight in single combat again, this time recording the matches and using the same type of Pokemon as your opponent. Anyway, you can go now. Just send the matches to us as you perform them; we will see whether they are legitimate or not and send you a confirmation. Goodbye."

* * *

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Lucario silently exited the building. The Aura Pokemon was the first to speak. _Well, I suppose I cannot help as much as I would have liked. My type does not match up; I cannot battle. Still, I will support you however I can._

Ash replied, "Thanks Lucario, but wow. I don't even really know how to find the Pokemon to battle, let alone get them to battle me and even beat them."

Pikachu took his turn to speak, " _Not quite. We've seen lots of legends, and I'm sure we kind of remember where they live. We just need to head back to some of those spots and challenge them. Most are your friends, so I'm sure we can take them on. Oh, by the way, dibs on the Electric one."_

Ash chuckled, "Not like I have any other electric types to do that job buddy."

Serena smiled before frowning and asking a question, "Wait, who do you plan to use in each challenge?"

Ash scrunched up his forehead in thought, "Well, Pikachu for the electric type for sure. I may call in a favor from Charizard for either fire or flying, or maybe Infernape. Greninja for Water... Not sure for Grass. Those are my main choices at the moment, but it also depends on if I'm fighting a dual type… I have to take this pretty strategically."

Ash thought for a moment before realizing something. "Wait, Shamouti!"

Pikachu stared. " _You mean the place with Lugia and the legendary birds? I guess that place works… But why there specifically?_ "

Ash grinned. "At the very least, Charizard can take Articuno for the Flying type. It means I'll have to find someone else for Fire, but we can deal with that. And you're probably the best choice for Zapdos, since his Flying type means that your electricity will do normal damage. That's two battles right there!"

Serena spoke up, "Sounds great Ash! How do we get there?"

Ash smirked before pulling out a Poke Ball and releasing Pidgeot before recalling Lucario with his other hand. "He can go faster than the speed of sound if we need him too."

Serena backed away shaking her head. "No, no, no! I can barely handle his regular speed."

Ash grinned and ran at her, picked her up bridal style (that earned a blush), and hopped onto Pidgeot. "Pidgeot! Head towards the ocean and the Orange Islands! Sonic speed!"

Just before Pidgeot broke the sound barrier, an annoyed scream was audible. "ASH KETCHUMMMMMM!"

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 14**


	12. Trial By Lightning! Electrifying Duel!

**Here we are! Thanks for reading as always; reviews are much appreciated.**

 **To anyone disappointed with the pairing, know that it is in no way the main focus of the story. It will be in the background, but the story is largely focused on the battles.**

 **Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_ Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **" _Words"_ : words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

"See, that wasn't too bad!" Ash said with a grin. Serena stepped off Pidgeot and took 2 steps before crumpling to the ground, muttering something about "psychotic boyfriends and supersonic birds".

Ash sighed before patting her on the back.

When Serena was more coherent, the two made their way to the island's shrine. Spotting a familiar pink figure, Ash called out. "Slowking! Hey!"

The large bipedal Pokemon turned around and started. "Chosen One? It's been years; how have you been, and why are you here?"

Ash smiled. "Hey Slowking! I'm just here to challenge some of the birds to battles. It's part of my trial to become part of the Kanto Elite Four. Do they still live on their islands?"

Slowking nodded, only too happy to help the hero who had saved him and the islands years ago. "Certainly. Each still inhabits their islands, although Lugia himself is not around."

"No worries. I'm here for Zapdos and Articuno anyway. Lugia isn't someone I'd like to challenge just yet."

Slowking frowned before speaking. "Well, I believe that Articuno seems to be taking a flight nearby and is not currently at the island, though he should be back soon enough. Zapdos on the other hand should already be at his island."

Ash nodded. "No worries. It just means Charizard gets more time to get here; I just sent Liza the message, so we need to wait for a bit. Buddy, you ready? Looks like you're going first."

Pikachu gave him a thumbs up. " _Leave it to me!"_

The group made its way to Lightning Island within a few minutes. Upon their arrival, they were met with a rather bland scene; Zapdos was simply taking a nap on a large rock right in front of the shrine containing the orb used in the myth of the Chosen One.

"Uh… how does one wake up a legendary without making it incredibly angry?" Serena asked.

Ash thought it over before rolling his eyes. "Why overthink this? I'll just use the easiest technique. HEY ZAPDOS! WAKE UP!"

The giant yellow bird gave a startled squawk as it almost fell off the rock it was perched upon. It gave Ash a glare. " _What was that for!? And who are- wait, the Chosen One? I remember you a little from a few years ago…"_

Ash nodded. "Yea, that's me. Zapdos, I come with a request. I'm training to be an Elite Four member and I need to battle legendary Pokemon one on one to get the position. One of my fights needs to be electric type, and I was hoping you would accept. Are you willing to accept my request for a battle?"

Zapdos thought it over for a moment before nodding. " _Nothing wrong on my end; I know you're reliable and Lugia likes you, so I don't see why not. Nothing out of the norm anyway."_

Ash sweatdropped. "This is the norm for you?"

 _"There have been years of elites before you, Chosen One. Each has had to fight a legend, and there are some retired electric masters."_

"Huh… who knew? Anyway, how about we move somewhere more open and then get started?"

 _"Agreed."_

After moving to an open space on the island, basically a big clearing surrounded by rocks, Ash took a position at one end. Zapdos moved to the other end of the clearing. Ash handed a little camcorder to Serena. "Do you mind recording this?" he asked.

"Not a problem!" his girlfriend gave him a sweet smile and turned on the camera. Ash blushed before turning back to the large bird across the clearing.

"Zapdos!" Ash called. The bird looked at him expectantly. "Just so you know, my challenge has special terms. Previous trainers were allowed to fight you with two Pokemon; I am only allowed to use one! And so… I choose you, Pikachu!"

Ash twisted his hat around and gave the legendary bird in front of him a feral grin as his first ever Pokemon and best friend leapt in front of him.

The bird nodded and squawked before rising into the air, sparking and indicating for the battle to begin.

* * *

Zapdos screeched before firing the mother of all Thunder attacks straight at Pikachu. Ash smirked.

"Iron Tail! Stick it in the ground!"

Pikachu raised his tail and it pulsed with steel type energy before he shouted and smashed it into the ground, sending shards of rock flying into the air around him. Some electricity hit the rocks and missed Pikachu, but that wasn't the point.

The electricity that actually nailed Pikachu was channeled through him and into the ground, absorbed by the rock under him. When the attack ended, Pikachu was perfectly fine.

"Thunderbolt!"

The electric attack flew up at the bird, nailing him; Zapdos screeched in shock. It was pretty clear that as the proclaimed "Master of Electricity" that he didn't expect it to hurt much, but his typing kicked in and the attack that shouldn't have hurt much did normal damage. And normal damage for Pikachu was pretty high.

Ash noted the angry squawk from the bird and watched as it accelerated. Seemed it would no longer take the challenge without some degree of worry or caution. Pikachu apparently shocked much harder than his appearance would suggest.

"Electro Ball!" The increased speed of the bird would only make the attack more potent. It would surely hurt enough to knock Zapdos out of the sky…

That is, if the sphere of electricity even hit the bird. It flew out of the way at top speed, leaving the crackling ball of electricity to disperse in the atmosphere.

The angry bird sent a ball of electricity flying back at him, but this one had different properties. It pulsed with a green and red center; Ash recognized it.

"That's Zap Cannon! Move, buddy!"

Pikachu escaped the attack in a burst of Quick Attack before firing another Thunderbolt at the Electric Pokemon. The bolt of lightning flew towards the bird but ultimately didn't even get close. The response was a barrage of Air Slash attacks that flew towards Pikachu. The mouse shot around the field with Agility managing to avoid the crescent shaped attacks; they all collided with the ground and left deep cracks in the rock.

" _Ash, could I get some help here? Kind a problem!"_ the mouse shouted to his trainer.

"Keep running! I'm working on it!"

Ash pulled out Dexter. It was obvious that as long as the legendary Pokemon was in the air and was moving at its speed, there was no way for Pikachu to even hit it.

"Uh… Okay… Pikachu, try this! Charge electricity into your legs! Then jump and reverse the polarity of the charge!"

" _What is that supposed to accomplish?!"_ "Just trust me!"

Pikachu sighed before channeling electricity from his cheeks into his legs. He then leaped, the increased energy in his legs allowing him to reach very high. He then focused on the particular qualities of the electricity that crackled around his legs. He focused in, feeling every individual region of charge in the potent lighting; then, reaching out with his control over electricity, he reversed the charges.

Pikachu clenched his eyes shut; his experience with electricity meant that messing with such a delicate element could result in explosions. When a few seconds passed and he was still intact, he opened his eyes and looked down. The ground wasn't getting any closer.

" _What the- am I floating?"_ he called down to Ash.

"Magnet Rise!" the trainer replied. "Dexter explained how electric types do it!"

Serena, standing by Ash, smiled. "Typical Ash. Only you could get your Pikachu to learn a new move on the fly mid battle…"

Ash reciprocated the smile before looking back towards Pikachu.

"Okay, Pikachu! You should be able to move around like normal! Get going! Thunderbolt; then close in with Quick Attack and use Iron Tail!"

The little mouse charged the bird in midair, though his movement was pretty shaky; Zapdos gaped at the absurd sight of a small yellow mouse charging it in midair. It smirked, however, then charged back. Its beak began spinning incredibly fast as it deflected Pikachu's Thunderbolt with Drill Peck and met the Quick Attack head on.

An explosion rocked the two and send them flying apart. Despite the type resistance, Pikachu as a species didn't have the best defense, and Pikachu clearly came off the worse of the two, covered in scratches from the spinning beak. Zapdos had felt the attack, but it was clear that it hadn't hurt much.

"Change of plans! Stay out of range! Electro Ball!"

Pikachu once again formed a ball of electricity on his tail and flipped forward, throwing it at Zapdos at high speeds. The bird countered by throwing out a Thunder, nullifying the Electro Ball and striking Pikachu. The mouse winced as his control over Magnet Rise faltered with the extra electricity flowing into him, but he managed to keep the polarity straight and remain airborne.

Pikachu acted on his own, firing more Thunderbolts and Electro Balls. Zapdos dodged them all, the whole while sending back Thunder attacks and Zap Cannons. Pikachu didn't get off so easily; his control over the Magnet Rise was mediocre at best and it was all he could do to dodge a few attacks while remaining in the air.

Down on the ground, Ash frowned. Pikachu had two options. One- retreat to the ground, where he could dodge attacks better. But there was no chance whatsoever that he could hit Zapdos from the ground, whereas he had a slight chance from the air. Or two- stay up in the air and risk getting knocked out of the sky by a charging bird. It was only a matter of time before Zapdos realized Pikachu was having a hard time moving and made the battle close range. He winced as Thunder hit the ground next to him; whatever attacks Pikachu managed to dodge were landing uncomfortably close. He was more concerned for Serena than himself- he had built up a pretty good resistance to electricity thanks to Pikachu's constant shocks- but the sheer power of the electricity was enough to concern him.

"Gah!" Ash yelled as a stray Zap Cannon clipped his left hand.

"Ash!" Serena cried out and made to grab his hand before Ash held her back.

"Wait! I don't want to discharge the electricity into you!" Serena stood back uncertainly as Ash placed his hand on the ground. This normally would have been absurd and useless, but the rock was about as charged as the stones in Chargestone Cave thanks to Zapdos living there for so long; the electricity discharged off his hand.

"Are you okay?" the honey-blond asked Ash, who was shaking his hand.

"Yea..." the kid with the cap replied. "My hand's a little numb, but…"

He stopped in the middle of his sentence.

"Ash?" Serena asked uncertainly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I have an idea!" the raven haired teen yelled. Serena backed up in surprise before smiling; he made it pretty clear he was okay.

"Pikachu! Prep Iron Tail and stop dodging! Swing on my signal!"

 _"Are you crazy? Do you want him to knock me out of the sky?"_

"You'll be fine! Just trust me one more time!"

Pikachu shook his head before powering up Iron Tail. He teetered in midair as the excess weight messed with his balance before leveling out.

Zapdos, as Ash had hopped, smirked at the now stationary Mouse Pokemon. He charged up Zap Cannon, the more potent of his attacks, and fired it before charging behind it with a Drill Peck.

Ash grinned; the bird had gotten over confident as was going for a high power combo.

"Pikachu! Wait for it…"

The sphere of electricity got closer and closer to the nervous mouse.

"Now!"

Pikachu responded instantly, swinging his empowered tail into the air ahead of him. It crashed into the Zap Cannon and sent it spiraling back towards Zapdos. The bird squawked in surprise as his own attack skidded past his beak and crashed into the rest of his face. He growled as his wing joints started to lock up, and made for a hasty landing on the ground.

"Pikachu! Disperse the Magnet Rise! Then fall right after Zapdos!"

The Mouse shrugged. Every other crazy idea had worked, so why not this? He dispersed the electricity around his feet and fell towards Zapdos.

"Remember Latios? Time to do that again! Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu grinned as he accelerated in midair, charging towards the slow bird with Volt Tackle. The bird turned around, but it was too late. Pikachu was nearly on top of him. "Now! Iron Tail!"

The electricity encased Pikachu smashed a glowing tail straight into Zapdos; any sort of control the bird had left collapsed as Pikachu drove him the remaining distance into the ground. The two crashed, creating a massive cloud of dust and rock. Pikachu flipped backwards out of the explosion, having used Zapdos' body to cushion his own landing.

* * *

Pikachu glared tensely at the dust as it cleared. The result was clear; Zapdos' body was on the ground and unmoving. Ash ran over to it and checked to ensure he was not in critical condition, nodding before grinning at his mouse and taking him into his arms.

"Great work Pikachu!" Ash cried. The tired mouse cheered, punching one arm in the air as a symbol of victory. Serena shut off the camcorder and joined the two. "That was awesome guys!" she said as she hugged Ash.

Ash blushed slightly before smiling. "Thanks Serena! Pikachu really came through!"

 _"Ahem."_ They all looked up to see Zapdos getting to his feet.

" _Needless to say I did not expect such a powerful challenger. No offense, young Pikachu, but your appearance can be somewhat… underwhelming."_ When the mouse crackled his cheeks in annoyance, Zapdos hurriedly replied, " _Nevertheless, you easily proved appearances can be deceiving. Excellent work on your challenge; I look forward to presumably challenging you once more in the future."_

Ash grinned. "Thanks to you as well Zapdos! That was a really great battle."

He looked around the wrecked clearing before rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture. "Uh… sorry about the damage."

The bird nodded. _"It is not a problem. I rarely use this part of the island. Anyway, I bid you well in your next challenges. I must retreat to my living space and recharge a bit. Good luck."_

With that, the bird started to walk away; rather awkwardly, since it was clear he was used to flying everywhere.

The trio of Ash, Serena, and Pikachu watched the bird walking away before turning to one another. "We better head to the island nearby… I've got friends there who can heal Pikachu and hopefully provide us somewhere to stay the night." Ash spoke.

The other two looked around; it seemed that in the intensity of the battle, none of them had noticed that it had rapidly grown dark. They turned back to Ash at the sound of a Poke Ball opening, and Pidgeot emerged.

"Let's get on." At a glare from Serena, he scratched his head. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll tell him to fly slower this time. Come on; we should really head to somewhere to stay." Serena smiled and nodded before the three climbed onto Ash's bird and took off.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 15**


	13. To Ice Island! Trial By Ice Awaits!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **And when I say constructive criticism, I don't mean rude or raging comments about how much Serena sucks and I shouldn't have used her. Respectful comments or suggestions are okay, and many of the reviews I have seen are polite, but a decent number are the opposite. You think yelling at me will change anything? If anything, it'll make me angrier and less open to changing. And as I have mentioned many times, the shipping will be in the background of the story. It rarely comes in as anything other than a side-story except for in a few chapters. Please try to enjoy the battling over the romance; there is a reason the story's genre is adventure.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash sighed as he pulled himself out of bed. He threw the covers off himself and whispered to Pikachu. "Buddy… come on… time to get up."

The little mouse rolled over and muttered something. Ash sighed and tried shaking the mouse.

The results were quite… shocking. Pikachu shouted and let loose an involuntary burst of Thunder. The results? A burnt up blanket, a blackened pillow, an irritated yellow mouse, and an Ash Ketchum covered in… well, ashes.

"Was that really necessary?" Ash asked from his position lying on the floor. " _You really need to learn how to wake me up."_ Pikachu huffed and walked away.

Ash sighed and pulled himself up, heading to the bathroom and brushing his teeth. He made his way to his neatly folded pile of clothes and put them on before grabbing his belt of currently active Poke Balls. He almost turned and walked away before noticing the shrunken ball on the floor, which had probably been under all the others.

"Oh, right. Don't wanna forget this guy…"

* * *

 _Ash and Serena hopped off Pidgeot as he landed on the dock_ _s of the island; Pikachu was sleeping in Ash's arms, exhausted by the battle. "Thanks for the ride again buddy." Pidgeot cawed as Ash returned him into the Poke Ball. Before the couple could make their way up the nearby stairs to the rest of the island and try to find somewhere they could stay, a roar pierced the air. Serena looked to the sky and saw what she could only describe as a goliath shaped like a dragon. "Ash… why is there a massive Charizard flying towards us?" she gripped his hand in worry; the thing was huge._

 _Ash smiled and squeezed back. "Don't you remember? I said I needed to call in Charizard for a favor. He's my teammate." He then turned to the massive lizard bearing down on them. "Hey Charizard! Down he-"he was abruptly cut off by a Flamethrower that washed over him and nearly burned Serena, who was still holding his hand._

 _"Oh my- Ash, are you okay?!" Ash shook off the heat and grinned. "Yea, that's just our little greeting." The lizard touched down in front of them; Serena involuntarily took a few steps back when the entire dock shook at the Flame Pokemon's landing. Ash, however, stepped forward without worry. "How've you been buddy?" he asked amiably, giving Charizard a fist bump. Charizard growled something, and Ash's smile only grew wider. "Wait, really? You learned that move? Great! Awesome work!" Charizard gaped, and Serena nudged Ash. "I think he's confused that you can understand him," she said quietly. The lizard nodded and looked confusedly at his trainer. "Okay, this might take a while…" Ash began to explain._

* * *

Ash glanced down at the Poke Ball in his hands and grinned. Charizard was his ticket to earning the requirement for the flying type requirement of his challenge. He had beaten an Articuno before and had grown even stronger since then. He pulled Typhlosion's Poke Ball off his belt and placed it in his backpack, deactivating it before placing Charizard's ball on his belt. His partner for this part of the challenge was set.

Ash made his way out of his loaned room and headed down the hall. He knocked on the door of the room that had been lent to Serena. "Hey, Serena! You awake?"

A fully-dressed, perky honey-blonde girl opened up the door and stepped into the hall. "Good to go!" she said with a smile. Ash grinned; "Great!" He grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her down the hall and towards the stairs at the end, his girlfriend struggling to remain standing the whole way.

The two made it downstairs to the sight of Melody and Carol eating breakfast. "Hey Ash!" the teen spoke waving. Ash waved back slightly before glancing at Serena, who was giving the younger girl a wary look. Given, he could understand; Melody had greeted him much more normally this time but he had told Serena stories and she probably wanted to remain cautious around the flirty girl who had kissed him on the cheek. Ash shook his head. Not like it mattered much; they were about to set out to challenge Articuno and then they would basically be done in the area. He would have stayed to battle Moltres, but after trying to fight Zapdos with Pikachu, who was limited to the ground until he managed to learn Magnet Rise on the spot, Ash had a feeling it would be a better idea to seek out a ground-based legend. Especially since his one Fire and Flying type was about to get his battle soon with Articuno. After a hasty breakfast with the two women he had met as he lived out the Shamouti prophecy, Ash thanked them and pulled Serena out the door with him. It was time to get to work.

Ash and Serena rode towards the shrine on Pidgeot and stopped by Slowking.

"Greetings, Chosen One. I believe Articuno is on Ice Island at the moment. Is there anything you need?"

"Actually, not really… I just wanted to make sure Articuno was actually there, and to say bye since once I defeat Articuno I'm probably heading out."

Slowking nodded. "Ah, understood. May I ask where to?"

Ash smiled. "Well, I've been thinking about it a lot, but I have some things to do at the Tree of Beginning. I promised to help Serena with her training, so I need to find time to do that, and I'm sure the Regis will be good sparring partners since they're really hard to hurt. Hopefully Mew can convince them to help us. I want to learn some Aura tricks from Lucario and get more used to battling with him as a partner. And for my remaining legendary challenges, it couldn't hurt to train more. Charizard has always been among the top tier of my team and Pikachu is crazy strong and is always with me, but lots of the other team members I want to use may be a little out of practice; plus I can teach them new moves to help." He stopped to take a deep breath; that was a really long explanation.

Slowing took a few moments to process it. "Understood. Well Chosen One, good luck with your endeavors. It has been a pleasure to see you again."  
"You too. Okay, Pidgeot, to Ice Island!"

* * *

Serena shivered as Ash recalled Pidgeot, who had just landed them safely on the island. "Ash, the air is so cold! Why didn't we fly on Charizard? Intimidating as he is, I'm sure he would be warmer than this!"

Ash sweatdropped and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Serena. But I'm not really that affected by the cold and I didn't want to tire out Charizard before the fight. Maybe you can keep Braxien out?"  
Serena huffed before called out her fox Pokemon. With a quick explanation by Serena, the fire type pulled out her twig and lit a fire at its tip, keeping herself and Serena warm.

Ash sighed. "For the record, I really am sorry."

Serena's expression softened a bit. "No worries; I get your reasons, I just don't like the results that much. It's all fine now though. So, are we going?"

The group started the trek to the center of the island.

The group shivered as they made their way towards the center. It was growing colder and colder, getting more uncomfortable by the second. Ash had ended up switching his active team and calling out every Fire Type he had aside from Charizard. Typhlosion, Pignite, Infernape, and Serena's Braxien flanked them on all sides. Their natural heat managed to keep the group warm, but it was easy to see that without the heat of battle to keep them warm and encouraged, even the Fire Type Pokemon were cold. Ash and Serena huddled close together; both would have been blushing if not for the fact that they were too freezing to feel anything at the moment. Eventually, however, they emerged in a clearing and spotted the wild Articuno that lived in the islands.

The Freeze Pokemon, unlike Zapdos, was awake when they got to it. As such, Ash stepped forward. "Articuno!" the large blue bird turned to him. "Are you familiar with the trials of prospective Elite Four Members?"

The bird thought for a moment before she nodded to the trainer. " _Yes, Chosen. The one named Loreli challenged me quite a while ago. I presume you are here for the same job?"_

Ash nodded at her. "Will you accept my challenge for the element of flying type?"

Articuno looked a little startled for a moment before nodding. " _I am surprised you would challenge me for flying rather than for Ice, which is more my specialty… Nevertheless, I accept. Send out your Pokemon!"_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 16**


	14. Charizard v Articuno! Here We Go Again!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **And thank you to the people who commented about the annoyed reviews and how much they didn't matter; it may not look like it since I try to keep AN's a bit short, but I do appreciate you guys. Thank you.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Serena took Dexter from Ash and help up the Pokedex, starting the recording as Ash threw his Poke Ball. "Charizard, I choose you!"

Articuno sighed and sweatdropped when Charizard emerged from his Poke Ball with a roar that sounded something like " _Let's do this!"_

Articuno muttered something under her breath before speaking up/. _"Figures… this explains why he wanted to challenge me for flying. Oh well; I have ways of dealing with Fire Types."_

Charizard snorted. " _Oh do you now? Let's see what you got; bring it on!"_

Articuno curled her wings against her body before forcing out a powerful wave of snow over a large radius. Charizard braced himself, activating Steel Wing and using his wings as shields. The Powder Snow flew past Charizard; given his type resistance and the fact that he had Steel Wing up, the attack did virtually nothing. Articuno narrowed her eyes and promptly fired a more concentrated wave of snow, this time with many small chunks of ice within it as well. The sheer force behind the attack surprised Charizard and knocked him to the floor, dealing some damage. If anything, though, all it did was anger the dragon.

"Flamethrower!"

The Flame Pokemon instantly got back up and fired a red-hot concentrated blast of fire at the Freeze Pokemon. Articuno promptly took to the air and the attack passed harmlessly underneath her. Charizard glared at her and, with a powerful flap, charged into the air after her.

Ash watched from underneath them and tried to judge their speed; seemed that they were probably about the same. That was good; it meant he wouldn't have to deal with another Zapdos situation.

"Send fireballs at him! Try to close in while limiting his speed!"

Charizard started up the strategy he and Ash had considered in advance. Rather than firing long blasts of fire, he shot tons of small fireballs at Articuno. They expended less energy than a full Flamethrower, and made it a lot harder for Articuno to maintain a straight course.

The blue bird dodged the firestorm surrounding him, swerving and moving in all directions to avoid the balls of fire. Unfortunately for her, doing so meant she had to adjust her speed at times. When the fire stopped coming, Charizard was substantially closer to her.

"Now! Overheat!"

At the closer range, Charizard had managed to get above Articuno and took a clear shot at her. Articuno felt the oncoming wave of heat and realized she was unable to dodge it; Charizard would just re-aim it if she moved. So, she did the next best thing. " _Wanted to keep this as a surprise, but whatever…"_ A Water Pulse formed in front of her beak, but what she did next surprised anyone. She pecked the Pulse and it burst in midair; the explosion of water enveloped Articuno a second before the Overheat made contact. The sheer heat of the attack turned the water into steam, but when it cleared, Articuno looked like she had been hit by an Ember, not by a high level fire type move.

Charizard glared and fired off another Flamethrower before Articuno could get away; this time, she sent a Water Pulse directly back at the attack. A normal water move would have a hard time fighting Charizard's fire- the lizard was just that tough- but from a legendary, it had no trouble plowing straight through the attack and into the lizard. Charizard fell towards the ground but managed to level out before he could actually crash, instead coming to a rather abrupt landing on the ground. Articuno smirked- as much as a bird can smirk through a beak anyway- and shot yet another Water Pulse at him.

"Change of attacks! Try a Dragonbreath!"

The burst of mystical fire held up against the Water Pulse much better than regular fire would have; the Pulse exploded and the two attacks nullified each other. Charizard used the smoke as cover to safely get airborne again. Articuno promptly charged the incoming Charizard in what looked like a Brave Bird. Charizard winced; Articuno would be a lot faster coming down than he would be, since he had to ascend while attacking. Still, the type advantage should nullify that… he activated Flare Blitz and met Articuno head on. The resulting explosion managed to knock both Pokemon out of their flight paths; they regained their air, but both were pretty close to the ground now. Articuno was covered in burns and Charizard was bruised and scratched.

"Hmm... I want to try something. Charizard, go in with Fire Punch!"

Charizard's fist lit up with fire as he flew towards the bird. The bird squawked in alarm and she released a Powder Snow that pushed Charizard back and snuffed out the flames.

"Once more, but this time with Flare Blitz!"

Charizard coated himself in fire and charged towards Articuno again. She concentrated before sending a combination attack at him; a Water Pulse with a Blizzard directly behind it.

"Abort!"

Charizard managed to fly under the attack and cut off his own move; the Pulse flew over his head and he got away safely. "Just as I thought." Ash stated. "Seems like Articuno isn't much of a close range fighter; the only time she used a close range move was when she was in a really convenient position. Charizard, tons of fireballs again! Then get close!"

The fire lizard breathed out another bunch of small balls of fire. The balls instantly flew towards Articuno, who was only barely able to dodge due to her reduced speed (thanks to the extra damage she had taken) limiting her movement. Her near inability to move was something Charizard capitalized on powerfully; as soon as the storm of fireballs ended, Articuno turned around to find Charizard right in her face. " _Crap!"_

"Grab her and go up!"

Before Articuno could attempt to attack, Charizard seized her and locked her wings in an arm hold before ascending rapidly. Articuno couldn't aim a Blizzard from that close, but she did attempt to cover them both in a blast of Powder Snow. Charizard, however, lit himself in Flare Blitz, having none of it. The Powder Snow melted entirely and Charizard reached a height which Ash deemed good enough.

"Now! Flaming Seismic Toss!" Charizard turned around, and with his Flare Blitz still cloaking him and Articuno still locked in his grasp, flew straight towards the ground. The two crashed into the ground and an explosion of dust clouded the impact point. When it faded, the result of the battle was clear; Articuno was down, and Charizard… well, he was tired, but he was never too tired to celebrate. Flamethrowers started flying everywhere.

Serena cut off the recording and handed the Pokedex back to Ash before hugging him. "That was great Ash! You really thought that one out!"

Ash smiled and rubbed his head. "Thanks. After all the trouble with Zapdos and its speed, I wanted a way to slow Articuno down in case he was as fast as Charizard. The fire ball trick was my best idea." Ash then turned to Charizard. "Great work as usual, buddy. You never let me down."

The fire lizard gave him a thumbs up before speaking, " _Mind sending that recording to Liza too? I have a feeling Charla would love to see it."_ Ash grinned and nodded. "You got it." They then heard the sound of someone clearing her throat.

Articuno had pulled herself to her feel in the meantime, and at her noise the others turned to her. " _Well, that was certainly a good fight. Impressive display by all of you, although I'm still a little annoyed you chose to use a Charizard."_

Pikachu laughed, " _If you think that's bad, think on this. Not only did he use a Charizard, this is a Charizard that has already fought and beaten another Articuno in the past. He has experience fighting your species."_

Articuno looked even more annoyed at that statement, but calmed herself down. _"Nevertheless, congratulations on you work. Good luck with the rest of your challenge."_

Ash smiled widely. "Thanks! Okay, Serena, we're heading to the Tree of Beginning now. Time to train!"

Serena nodded. Ash recalled Charizard and the other fire types before pulling out Pidgeot's Poke Ball and releasing the bird. "Pidgeot, back to the tree!"

Pidgeot grumbled something about only being used as a form of transport instead of actually getting to battle before letting Ash get on his back with Serena. "Haha, sorry Pidgeot! But we're heading to train, so you'll get some battles in soon." With a happy squawk, Pidgeot took off for the tree.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 17**


	15. Training it Up!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 **Sorry for the absence. I don't really have a good excuse, so I'm just going to apologize sincerely and try to go back to regular updates. Oh, and Happy New Year!**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

A flash of light filled Lucario's eyes as he was released from his Poke Ball. He blinked and took in the world around him, noting that he was back at the Tree of Beginning. Ash stepped in front of him and spoke.

"Hey Lucario! So the battle with Moltres is done and we decided to head back to the Tree to train a bit. And I was hoping you were okay with starting my Aura Training now."

Lucario nodded and replied with telepathy. _Of course. There are many things for you to learn. Unfortunately, we don't quite have the proper equipment…_

"What do we usually need?"

 _In order to use Aura at its maximum potential, the human body, or even a Pokemon's body, must be at the peak of physical fitness. Otherwise Aura can be used, but will be relatively ineffective; it will not be nearly as strong as it would be if the person was physically fit._

"But I've used Aura before a few times. Heck, I'm using it as we speak to listen to what Pikachu is talking to Serena about!"

 _The translation is a subconscious feature. Your Aura is just barely powerful enough to resonate with the Auras of Pokemon around you, which are naturally stronger than human auras. You don't get an exact translation, but you get such a good read on their emotions and gestures that you can subconsciously understand them. That one time you used Aura was with the aid of Sir Aaron's gloves. The crystals on them make it easier to draw Aura from one's body and manipulate it. Of course, one still needs to have a certain type of Aura and a certain magnitude of Aura to draw it out at all; it just means someone who has the proper magnitude but it untrained can use Aura well. But to get back to the main point, we need some weights and physical training equipment before you can use your Aura to the maximum potential._

Ash nodded back. "So, should I go get the gloves, are will we start without them."

 _No, we will go without them. Trust me; you will be highly grateful, especially since once you have learned to call upon your Aura without the gloves it will become second thought with the ease the gloves provide._

"Got it. So kind of like using training weights so everything is a lot lighter if you actually need to fight?"

 _Precisely._

Ash nodded before frowning in thought. "You know, maybe I should get my Pokemon and myself training weights... they would've helped a long time ago. Lucario, give me some time to get the equipment. I have an idea."

Ash hopped off Pidgeot at the Rota Pokemon Center, recalling her with a word of thanks. He headed inside and sat down in front of one of the computers which trainers were allowed to use as they liked. He promptly typed in "training weights" and noted a bunch of types of equipment that could fit the training he needed. He checked his Pokedex and noted the funds in it; he had, over the course of his journeys, acquired a small fortune. The only thing was that since he always traveled with partners who could cook and provided their own equipment, he never really had to use any of it; it helped that his mom constantly restocked him when his partners could not. Not that the traitors were of any use to him now, but he had traveled enough that he was set.

He promptly pulled out a list of Lucario's recommendations; the Aura Pokemon was not familiar with modern types of technology and equipment, but he explained which parts of the body needed the most training. He put in the serial number of his Pokedex and placed a few orders, selecting the option to pick up things in stores. He then adjusted his search to look for weights for Pokemon, and managed to find a nice catalogue with weights for every Pokemon by species. They even had weights for legendries, for some reason. Ash ran through the list and ordered a set for every Pokemon he had; the great thing too was that the store offered to trade out weights for any Pokemon that evolved after using them. If Totodile, say, evolved after Ash bought weights specific to his species, as long as he proved it to the store they would trade him a set of gear for a Croconaw with only a minor handling fee involved.

Ash completed the transactions and quickly noted down the addresses of the two stores he had ordered from. Neither was in Kanto; one was in Johto and one was in Sinnoh. Still, he had a remedy for that. He slid out of the center and into the nearby woods before zipping open his backpack. "You can come out now."

The insane pink dem- I mean, incredibly nice pink cat emerged from the backpack and circled around Ash. " _You did it?"_

Ash nodded. "I did. Thanks again for agreeing to help. Can you teleport me to Olivine City in Johto?" Mew nodded, and in a flash of pink light she disappeared.

After teleporting the human equipment from Olivine to the tree, Ash and Mew grabbed the Pokemon equipment from Sinnoh's Canalave City and made their way back the tree. After thanking Mew with some Pokepuffs (which he had convinced Serena to help him with), he turned to Pikachu. "Buddy, you managed to short it out yet?"

Pikachu turned from his position. He was currently holding the Pokedex while transmitting a tiny electrical current into it. _"Almost. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to hack something purely by sending in electrical currents and trying to figure out which circuits control what features."_

His ears perked up. _"Wait, I got it!"_

Suddenly, Ash's Poke Balls (laid across the floor nearby; he had to take them out so he could hide Mew in the backpack and arrived on Pidgeot so things looked normal), which had red centers from being inactive, activated and lost their red centers.

Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder and grinned smugly. " _One six Pokemon limit, successfully hacked and removed."_

Ash grinned. "You're the best Pikachu."

He looked back at the balls on the ground. "Uh… how long will it take to throw all of these?"

Pikachu rolled his eyes.

Once Ash's entire team was assembled in front of him, he spoke.

"Guys, I just got these training weights for all of us. Basically, they'll make it harder for you guys to move, but when we take the weights off for battling movement will be a lot easier and you will be much faster. So everyone line up to get the weights put on."

It took over an hour, especially given that every single weight had a different shape based on Pokemon and some were super weird, but eventually every Pokemon had a weight on.

"Okay guys, time to train! Since we just got the weights, we're going to just go for some basic speed and endurance training. Flying types, try to go for a really long sustained flight; you can choose where you go and how high you fly, but the main thing is you want to try to stay airborne as long as possible. Water Types, same deal; swim as long as you can. I'm pretty sure the Tree of Beginning has a lake somewhere, so go use that. Another thing; try to stay high in the water, maybe even swimming at the surface; don't swim near the bottom of the lake, that'd just be giving into the weights. The whole point is to get stronger and do normal things with the weights holding you back the whole time. And ground-based Pokemon, just run laps around the tree. I'm not setting limits on any of you; just stop when you get too tired or if you feel like things are getting dangerous. Everybody has their individuals limits, and I want everyone to reach their own; don't keep going just because a rival teammate is, but also don't just stop when you see most of the others stop if you still have the energy to keep going. Anyway, that's all. Good luck; we can all meet back here when everyone is tired!"

The Pokemon cheered and scattered, all except Lucario, who stood and waited.

Ash had something else to do first. He turned to Serena.

"Serena, I got your team some weights as well. Since they plan to get stronger, I suggest that you hand them the weights and give them the same regiment as my team for now." The girl nodded. "Thanks Ash! I really appreciate that!" she hugged him and headed off to the side, where she released her team and attached weights to them. Ash turned to Lucario.

"So… where do we start?"

 _Well, I must go join the rest of my new teammates in training._ Lucario looked at the weights clipped on his arms and legs. _In the meanwhile, I suggest you set your own physical training regimen. I am not well acquainted with the equipment of this era and I have already explained to you which parts of the body must be strengthened the most. Perhaps you should use the Internet to figure out a how exactly to train._

"Well, these things came with instructions, so I guess I'll just get started."

Lucario nodded and headed to join the other land-based Pokemon, beginning to run his laps around the Tree. In the meantime, Ash moved to the side and started trying to figure out the equipment.

About 10 minutes later, Ash sighed. "Maybe I should just start with the basic weights… I didn't realize all of the equipment that I ordered would need to be put together before I could use it…"

He held the instructions in his hand and tried to make sense of them. "Wait, so does this part go here?" He held up a screw and started banging it with a hammer. Watching from nearby, Pikachu sweatdropped.

After a rigorous day of training, everyone present was exhausted. Even Ash, who had finally got enough of the equipment assembled to use (after a very, very long time consisting of lots of trial and error and tons of frustration), and Serena, who had decided to join Ash on the training equipment and get stronger as well once her Pokemon were good to go, were sore and tired by the end of the day.

 _"Ow… my legs aren't supposed to hurt this much. I'm pretty sure I could've dodged Zapdos' attacks on the ground for an hour straight and not been as tired as I am now"_ Pikachu whined as he lay next to Ash, who sat on the ground next to Serena.

"Yea, it definitely hurts more than I'm used to." Serena agreed with the mouse. Ash nodded, but then spoke. "Remember though, it'll be worth it in the end. We'll all be healthier, stronger, and more ready to take on the world."

Serena noticed Ash tense when he mentioned taking on the world. "You still worry about the betrayal, don't you? The fact that you may not be tough enough to take on the criminals?"

Ash cringed, but didn't bother to deny it. "It haunts me Serena. I make sure not to let it show so I don't affect my Pokemon's morale and I can keep a bright outlook, but I still don't know if I can handle the world. What if I'm not strong enough? I couldn't handle it if Team Rocket showed up and tried to hurt you or the Pokemon, or anyone else I still consider a friend."

Serena sighed before scooting a little to Ash. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Ash, we all believe in you. Your Pokemon, I, and even high ups like the Elite Four and Champions know how strong you are. Just do your best, and we know that you will always be strong enough."

"Thank you." Ash wrapped an arm around Serena and they relaxed, watching the bright moon as the Pokemon lay around them; all one big family.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: December 31**


	16. Splash Down! The Water Trial!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Pikachu sprinted between the barrages of attacks being sent his way. Bullet Seeds, Flamethrowers, and Hydro Pumps were all flying towards him at high velocities, yet he was successfully dodging them all at his speeds. His weights, which he had trained with for about two weeks straight, lay to the side, and the speed difference was notable. Pikachu was insanely fast before, but now he was just a yellow blur on the battlefield. That seemed to be the major trend in improvement for all of Ash's Pokemon; they were well muscled, but the most significant change in their physique was their speed increase.

Now Ash was putting his team through an extra form of intensive training; buffing his Pokemon's accuracy by having them shoot at one another as they moved around at increased speed. Even now, he could see every attack being fired at Pikachu getting closer; yet the mouse was just wily enough to ensure that nothing actually hit him. At most a few attacks skidded within a few inches of him.

Overall, Ash had seen tons of improvement in the speed and strength of his team members. They had been training in accuracy for a few days as well, but he could tell they were basically set. And as for him and Serena, they were both getting tougher as well. They had started putting on muscle layer, although Serena had much less than Ash; she chose to spend a good amount of her time cooking or helping Ash or her Pokemon with their training rather than training herself. "Okay guys, gather around." The Pokemon stopped their training and reattached their weights; it was a good way to get used to the extra strain and power up, just wearing the weights in daily activities. "You've all done great with your training and I think we have the edge needed to take on the other three Legendary Pokemon. I already decided which challenge is next." He paused to let the drama build up. "Congratulations Greninja, you're getting a water type battle." The ninja Pokemon stepped forward with a grin. "Now, there are lots of options for water legendaries, but a lot of them just live in the ocean. Luckily, I know a legend's old hangout."

Pidgeot touched down with Ash and Serena outside of New Bark Town. Ash recalled him into the Poke Ball with words of praise before he and Serena made their way for Route 1. "Ash, why are we here? Don't only weaker and more basic Pokemon hang out on Route 1 of most regions?"

Ash grinned. "Maybe that's how it usually is, but on this route I once found a really beautiful pond. Clean, pure water in a great environment, and I'm betting that my current opponent hangs around there quite a bit. As they spoke, Ash caught sight of something deep within the forest. He focused for a moment. He was still nowhere near the level of fitness needed for Aura to be incredibly effective, but he was improving, and Lucario had told him more powerful Pokemon had inherently stronger Aura. Sure enough, his rudimentary Aura senses felt a powerful presence ahead. "Come on!" Ash said. He promptly sprinted towards the source of the Aura, leaving Serena and Pikachu to catch up with him. Ash skidded to a stop when he came to the pond.

"Suicune!" The beautiful blue Aroura Pokemon looked up at him. Her purple main and the streamers around her body fluttered in the breeze, and he eyes showed recognition. " _You… the young child who helped with Celebi."_ "I'm Ash, by the way." " _Yes, I remember. Well, hello. What can I do for you?"_

Ash stepped forward and raised a fist. "Suicune, I'm undergoing trials to join the Elite Four and wanted to battle with you to fulfill a requirement. Will you accept my challenge?"

To his surprise, the Pokemon agreed immediately and vigorously. " _Yes, please! I can't ever have fun battling my brothers; Entei is too weak to my element and Raikou just electrocutes me! It's been awhile since I have had a decent fight!"_ Pikachu and Serena arrived in the clearing in time for Pikachu to hear that. _"Huh, who would've know that Suicune was so battle-hungry. I would have expected that more from the other Beasts…"_ Serena spoke next to him. "Don't judge by appearances. You of all creatures, a Pikachu who can topple legendaries, should now that." _"Fair enough."_

Suicune exercised her ability to walk on water as she stepped onto the lake and directly across from Ash. " _Let's get on with it. I accept your challenge; now, choose your Pokemon."_

Ash lobbed a Poke Ball into the air and Greninja formed in a flash in front of him, already in a ninja pose. "Ready Greninja?" The ninja Pokemon nodded and took a combat ready stance, facing down the Legendary Beast. Ash hurriedly threw Serena his Pokedex, and she opened it up and aimed the camera. "All right. Suicune, ready on our end!"

The Aurora Pokemon nodded. " _Then here we go!"_ With that and a roar, she lunged.

Greninja slid to the side as a Hydro Pump flew directly into the spot where he was just standing. Suicune didn't give him any time to relax; she promptly fired an Aurora Beam at his new position. A constant barrage of Aurora Beams and Hydro Pumps followed, Greninja leaping through the trees to avoid them. Suicune growled and chased him, and Ash and Serena were forced to follow. "Heh, reminds me of my battle with Spencer." Ash grinned as he accelerated in an attempt to keep up with his partner.

The battle continued as they dodged through the trees. Greninja suddenly turned around and threw a pair of Water Shuriken at Suicune. The Aurora Pokemon was caught off guard and the attack smashed into her, knocking her back but not really hurting her much. She growled and retaliated by speeding towards him with Quick Attack. The Ninja Pokemon tried to sidestep but was clipped by the move due to the sheer speed of Suicune. Nevertheless, he recovered and kept running. Eventually, the group ended up in another clearing.

Greninja panted. The Quick Attack had only clipped him, but they had both been moving really fast; it had hurt pretty badly. Ash noted this before shouting, "Hey Greninja! Time to use our bond!"

The Ninja Pokemon nodded and raised a fist in conjunction with Ash. The two yelled together as water enveloped Greninja and he glowed, switching into his alternative form. The water suddenly pooled into a massive Shuriken on Greninja's back, and he wasted no time in throwing it directly at Suicune. The Aurora Pokemon leapt to the side, but Greninja had seen it coming and thrown another Shuriken at the spot where he predicted Suicune would land. The massive star shaped water smashed into her and detonated, resulting in a roar of pain. Suicune definitely felt that.

Suicune emerged from the explosion enveloped in Aqua Jet and charging straight at Greninja. "Use Cut!" Greninja promptly formed two blades and met the Aurora Pokemon head on. His sheer power in his new form let him keep up with the strength of Suicune. "Use your tongue! Trip it!" Greninja smirked at the plan before unwinding his tongue and pulling Suicune's ankle. The Legendary Beast stumbled and Greninja landed Cut full force. The Pokemon flew into a tree and Greninja back flipped to gain some extra distance.

Suicune once again emerged from the crash, but the damage on her was obvious. Still, she wasn't a Legendary for nothing. A blue glow enveloped her as the sheer power leaking off her increased. Ash's eyes widened. "Aura?!" Suicune smirked. " _Few Pokemon other than the Lucario line can learn this. I am one of those few."_ With a roar, she sent an Aura Sphere at Greninja. The Ninja Pokemon leapt in the air to dodge, but Aura Sphere tracked him and smashed into him. The Super-Effective attack knocked him to the ground and directly in front of Suicune, who proceeded to send him flying with a close range Hydro Pump. When he landed the next time, she promptly froze him in a block of ice with Ice Beam.

Ash winced and fell to one knee, feeling Greninja's pain. He knew Greninja was still conscious, but how could he get out of the ice? He scrunched up his forehead in though before realizing. "Greninja!" Serena looked to Ash, noting that Greninja was in ice and probably couldn't hear him. But Ash knew Greninja was listening through their bond. "I'm channeling Aura through my hand. Get that feeling! Hold onto it, build it up, and release it!" With his mediocre control of Aura, Ash had managed to get some Aura to flow towards his arm. It was not nearly enough for him to build a sphere, but he had to hope Greninja understood what was up.

Inside the ice, Ash's words reached Greninja. The Pokemon tapped into Ash's feelings and noted the sensation of what it assumed was Aura in his right hand. He pulled that feeling into his own body, and then, just as he did with attacks… he magnified it. The result was a deep blue glow within the ice.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Suicune looked on at the ice as it started to glow. Suddenly, it exploded. A layer of smoke covered the field for a moment. Suicune paced around it warily before leaping to the side as an Aura Sphere flew from the smoke. This time, the sphere honed in on her and send her spiraling into a rock.

Greninja leapt from the smoke, but clearly in pretty bad condition. He was covered with bruises, and if Ash's shivering was anything to go by he was pretty cold too. Not that Suicune looked much better. She had scratches thanks to the sharp scratches from Greninja's Cut and the Shuriken that had nailed her.

Suicune huffed, evidently tired. She promptly opened her mouth and Greninja braced himself for an Aurora Beam or Hydro Pump. However, Suicune instead spewed Mist. The Mist covered the entire field, obscuring Greninja's vision. She promptly made her way towards Greninja, planning to use the mist as cover to finish him off. Ash, however, wasn't going to let them happen. "Grab a Water Shuriken and prepare to throw!" Greninja, deep with the mist, shouted back and tensed, hand on the shuriken on his back.

Ash promptly climbed a tree nearby and moved upwards until he was out of the mist. Serena managed to follow him (though at a much slower speed) and kept recording. She gasped when she saw the top of the mist; from up here, they could see the silhouettes of both Pokemon in the mist. Ash shouted once more. "Greninja! Look through my eyes! Then strike!"

Greninja closed his eyes and focused on his connection to Ash. He glimpsed into Ash's eyes, quickly recognizing his own shape and the shape approaching from his right. His eyes snapped open. Drawing on the power of his and Ash's bond, he enlarged the Shuriken in his hand to massive proportions and threw it into the mist. A massive explosion resulted. When the smoke and mist cleared, Suicune was down.

" _Ow… That last trick backfired."_ Suicune muttered as she pulled herself up a few minutes later. " _That mist probably made it harder for me to see than you… I'm used to finding my way through it, but even I find it tough. Guess you were faster…"_

"It's all thanks to our bond!" Ash smiled at Greninja as he de-powered in a blast of water. The Ninja Pokemon held up a fist and spoke " _Yes… Our connection has given me lots of strength. I will always value it."_

Serena promptly handed Ash Dexter. "Recording completed! Nice work as usual!"

Ash nodded with a smile. "Well, thanks very much for the battle Suicune. I owe you one. Will you be okay?"

The Aurora Pokemon nodded. " _I will heal soon. Feel free to head out. Good luck on the rest of your trial."_

Ash nodded, summoning Pidgeot and hopping on with Serena behind him, putting her arms around his waist. Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder and Greninja was returned to his Poke Ball. With a burst of speed, the group was off once again.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: January 9**


	17. Road to the Fire Trial!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

The group got off at the Tree of Beginning, once again. "Ash, what's next?" "Well, I have an idea… but the issue is that I don't know if you're going to want to come." "Why?" "The next Pokemon I want to fight… kind of, sort of lives inside a volcano."

Serena looked at Ash, scrutinizing him to make sure he wasn't telling a joke. When it became clear that he was fully serious, she stepped back in shock. "Wait, an active volcano? With actual lava and everything?" Ash nodded. "Yea. I understand if you don't want to come; I can have Pikachu record for me if you want."

Serena thought on it for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No… I don't want to be weak. I made a pledge to myself to support you when your old friends left you, as a friend and as a girlfriend. I wouldn't be doing either if I ditched you and let you do everything yourself. I'm coming with you."

"Serena…" Ash spoke quietly, touched. "You don't need to prove that to me. I already know that you're a loyal friend and girlfriend. No need to come with me into an active volcano to show that…" Serena shook her head and grabbed his hand. "I know I don't need to. But I want to be there for you." Seeing him about to argue back, she shook her head. "My mind is made up Ash. I'm with you all the way!" Ash wiped a few small tears from his eyes. "Serena… Thanks."

With that matter decided, the group started to move. Ash discussed his next target as they moved; the Fire and Steel Legendary Heatran. He was hoping that Infernape, with his Fighting Type, would be able to overcome the legendary's defenses and get him the win. So they made their way to an old volcano in Sinnoh, still active; Ash detailed his adventure with the Pokemon Ranger and his special Styler as they flew, the odd one that was able to summon Pokemon.

Pidgeot soon landed and Ash, Serena, and Pikachu made their way into the volcano. They searched around a bit before finding the cave that Ash and Pikachu had used last time (there were lots of comments about Ash's sense of direction, mostly made by Pikachu) before they eventually found it and made their way into the volcano.

"Phew!" Serena wiped her brow at the massive surge of heat that washed over the group as they entered the volcano. By no means was it unbearable, but it wasn't at all comfortable. "Was it this hot last time?"

Ash furrowed his eyebrows as he though. "Actually… no. It wasn't this hot until we reached the main chamber of the volcano, and that was where there was lava a few feet away. But right now… we're just in one of the tunnels. This can't be right…"

He shook his head. "We better keep moving anyway."

When the group eventually emerged in the lava chamber, they were… surprised. A massive red titan stood in front of them. " _Can I help you runts?"_

"Groudon?!" Ash asked in shock.

" _Yes. Were you expecting someone else?"_ the red goliath snorted from the spot he stood. The fact that his lower half was emerged in lava didn't make him look any less scary.

"I thought Heatran lived here… I was hoping to challenge him as part of an Elite Four Trial."

Groudon shook his head. " _That Heatran moved out to Stark Mountain a while back. Said something about Pokemon thieves knowing he lived here… Team Asteroid? Starship? Something like that. Me though, I don't really care about thieves. I'm easily strong enough to fight anyone that comes by, and I haven't seen any criminals since I moved here anyway."_

Ash sighed. Looked like he wouldn't be getting a battle after all that. "Well, thanks for the information. Guess we better head to Stark Mountain…"

The behemoth growled. " _Hold it! I haven't had a good fight in a while. Why not just battle me?"_

Ash turned to the massive Pokemon. "I considered it when I saw you, but you're a Ground Type. The trail I'm here for requires me to battle a fire type."

Groudon looked to be in thought for a moment before he replied. " _I may have a way of remedying that issue._ "

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu looked on as the goliath marched over to a nearby patch of rock that was above the lava. It raised a fist and proceeded to slam it into the ground, causing the entire chamber to tremble and leaving a large crater in the rock. From within it, he pulled out a small, glowing orb. Ash's eyes widened with recognition. Before he could say anything, Groudon roared and began to glow.

A massive sphere of red energy surrounded Groudon. It promptly exploded outwards, revealing Groudon, but much larger and with glowing orange lines running along his body.

Ash started. "Whoa! Hey, I remember seeing that during the whole incident with Hoopa! Did you just Mega Evolve?"

Groudon spoke, his voice significantly deeper than before; and it was already pretty deep to begin with, so it was pretty intimidating to say the least.

" _This is a somewhat similar process known as Primal Reversion. It is a process with lets me and that damn overgrown fish to use a power that is so incredible that it can bend nature. On another note, when I activate my Reversion, I gain the fire type. So, care to battle?"_

"Um… Give me a minute."

The group backed off a little. Ash spoke first. "Guys, what should I do? The power running off Groudon is enormous!"

The yellow rodent on his shoulder shrugged. " _I don't see why you shouldn't try at least. He may be tough but it's not like Infernape isn't."_

Ash replied, "Yea, but I specifically prepped Infernape to fight Heatran. It may be disorienting to find out he has a new opponent; we were planning to make use of the fact that Fighting Type moves would disorient Heatran and let us string together combos and stuff. That won't work on Groudon."

Serena nodded. "Good idea. I may be more of a Performer at heart, but it is probably best to stick to a Pokemon that isn't going in with a really set mindset. Who else did you bring?"

Ash fingered his belt. "Fire Types? I've also got Typhlosion and Torkoal. I don't really think Torkoal has the firepower for this one, so it'd have to be Typhlosion. But the issue is that it would be his first official battle in his new form. Plus, he doesn't really have any useful moves. We've been practicing Earthquake but it's still rough."

A pop sounded in the air as a flash of light flew off Ash's belt and materialized into the Volcano Pokemon. Typhlosion turned to Ash. " _I may not be able to win, but I can sure try! I want to give this a shot."_

Ash looked to Serena and Pikachu, and both nodded at him. Ash sighed before turning back to his Fire Pokemon. "Okay, we'll give it a try. Let's do it!"

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: January 10**


	18. Primal Power! The Fire Trial!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Typhlosion stared down the much larger form of Groudon. He stood on a rocky platform in the middle of lava, although seeing as his species was literally the Volcano Pokemon he could get in the lava if he had to. It would make him more vulnerable and reduce his mobility though, so it was not a great option unless he absolutely had to. Groudon stood across from him, fully decked out with his Primal form and half submerged in the pool of lava in the volcano chamber.

Groudon roared, signaling the fight to begin and sending a Flamethrower straight at Typhlosion. "Dodge!" Ash shouted from his position above the lava pool. Typhlosion promptly started sprinting. He ran and jumped between the various rocks floating in the lava pool. Eventually Groudon had to stop to take a breath. Then Typhlosion struck.

"Swift! Then follow it with Rollout!" Ash opted to have Typhlosion avoid Fire type attacks, at least for now. It's not like they would hurt Groudon much to begin with, even if the indoor sunlight created by Groudon's ability was boosting them. The small rush of golden stars Typhlosion formed and fired off hit the Continent Pokemon hard, pushing him back. Still, his already insane durability was only boosted by his Primal form, and the stars managed to move him but didn't really hurt him much at all. Typhlosion's follow up, however, managed to leave a mark. Groudon roared with pain when the Rock move nailed him in the head.

"Typhlosion! Keep rolling along the walls and bouncing off Groudon!" Typhlosion managed to hear Ash's words even while spinning at immensely fast speeds. He promptly bounced off Groudon and onto the wall, doing a few maneuvers before getting back to Groudon and nailing him again. The Continent Pokemon roared with more anger and even some pain as each consecutive strike hit harder. His eyes glowed and he summoned a barrage of boulders from the roof of the cavern. "Typhlosion! Strafe; you got rocks incoming!"

Luckily for Typhlosion, one of the things he had practiced the most as a Quilava was navigating and maneuvering when using Rollout or Flame Wheel, and he was used to dodging conventional attacks while in those moves. Groudon was even more angered when Typhlosion dodged the rocks without breaking a sweat and nailed him again, this time hitting him hard enough to drive him into the wall and make a crater. " _Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy…"_ the annoyed Legendary muttered.

When Typhlosion made a leap back onto the wall, Groudon struck. With a roar, he smashed a massive claw onto the rocky wall. The wall shook with the force of his blow, knocking Typhlosion off balance. And to add to the havoc, blades of rock emerged from the walls. The Precipice Blade attacks popped out of the rock in the wall all around Typhlosion. The Volcano Pokemon did his best to maneuver around them, but eventually, one managed to perfectly cut him off. By hitting him. Hard. And then exploding.

The Volcano Pokemon was sent flying off the rock by the explosion, just barely missing landing in the lava and instead crashing into a slab of rock floating in the lava pool instead. He pulled himself up and steadied himself, but was instantly forced to leap away when a Solarbeam flew directly at him.

Ash watched with worry as Typhlosion dodged Solar Beams by hopping between floating platforms. "Why is he attacking with an ineffective move though?" he muttered to himself. Not like the move would do much damage even if it hit, and clearly Typhlosion was fast enough to avoid them. He looked around and noticed something with a start. Every platform Typhlosion leapt off exploded when the beam of concentrated sun energy blew up. They all melted away into anything. Ash suddenly understood. "Typhlosion, he's trying to trap you!"

The fire weasel looked back at him for a moment before realizing. He was now alone on a large platform in the middle of the pool, and Groudon was glaring at him and raising a fist into the air. The fist glowed with energy and he knew a Precipice Blades was on its way. Ash winced. It was risky, but they had to try it. "Earthquake!"

Typhlosion looked a little surprised but promptly lifted a foot and smashed it into the ground. The entire platform trembled and shook, and the lava splashed around. Groudon lost his balance and nearly fell, being forced to stop his Blades attack in the process. However, this development changed things for Typhlosion. The platform he stood on was badly cracked an unstable. Groudon glared him down with an evil glint in his eye. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower quick!" It was too late. Groudon promptly raised its own foot and stomped in its own Earthquake, creating powerful seismic waves that were about twice as large as the ones Typhlosion had formed. Besides damaging Typhlosion, the waves finished off the platform he was standing on. With a yelp, he fell into the hot lava.

"Typhlosion, no!" Ash winced at his friend, attempting to gain his footing in the hot lava. " _Your effort is good- for a bunch of runts- but this is over. Take this!"_ Groudon's fist smashed into the floor and Precipice Blades emerged from the ground beneath the lava. Typhlosion was battered by a series of spikes before on finally exploded and launched him to where Ash and Serena were standing. One look at him clearly showed that he was out of the fight. Serena sighed and deactivated the Pokedex's recording feature. It was clear that they wouldn't be needing the recording at this point.

Ash bent down to where Typhlosion was lying on the ground. The Volcano Pokemon regained consciousness and winced in pain. "Typhlosion, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let you go into that fight unprepared. I'm really, really sorry…" Typhlosion, a bit too tired to speak, pawed at his trainer and tried to tell him that everything was okay, that he himself could have done better, but it seemed Ash was having none of it. "Typhlosion, return." The red energy enveloped Typhlosion and his energy flowed back into the Poke Ball. Ash turned to Groudon and bowed. "Thank you for the battle. Serena, let's go." Groudon depowered from his Omega form and watched as they left. Once they had exited the cave, he winced and rubbed his bruises. " _Damn weasel hits pretty hard…"_ He heard a whoosh of air as Pidgeot took off outside the cave. " _Sigh… well, it was a good fight."_ And with that, he decided to take a nap and give himself some time to heal.

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: January 11**


	19. Lost and Renewed Confidence!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash was silent on the entire flight back to the Tree of Beginning, his current base of operations of sorts. Normally, he would talk to Serena, be friendly, maybe discuss battle strategies with Pikachu, or just generally be upbeat. This time, he kept his head down and refused to respond to Pikachu's prodding. Serena kept silent, but planned to talk to him once they made it back to the tree.

Pidgeot touched down and Ash returned him without a word of thanks, further surprising his friends. Pikachu hopped off his shoulders as he made his way towards the interior of the tree, the small cavern he had chosen to sleep in. Serena sighed as she made her way towards a cavern near Ash's. Pikachu decided to follow her for the time being.

From the bushes nearby, Ash's Sceptile watched with interested eyes. It wasn't like he really needed the care the trainer usually showed them- it was much appreciated for sure, but he was a pretty independent Pokemon too- but this seemed pretty out of character. He made his way to where the group of Pokemon was training and shouted. " _Everyone, gather around! Something is up!"_

He nodded as everyone started to make their way towards him, only to sweatdrop when he noticed Heracross sneaking up behind Bulbasaur as the little plant dinosaur made his way towards the gecko. " _Bulbasaur, you might wanna turn around."_

The Seed Pokemon glanced at him and began to turn around. He was a second too late. He felt Heracross before he saw him, and the bug latched onto his bulb. " _For crying out loud! Get off! Now!"_

Sceptile sweatdropped as Bulbasaur activated Vine Whip and started crazily swiping at Heracross. The bug was pretty lucky that he was a Bug Type; Bulbasaur would've injured him a long time ago if not for his resistance to the Seed Pokemon's attacks. When Heracross refused to get up, Bulbasaur had clearly had enough. Sceptile's eyes widened as he saw that the sunlight seemed to be drawn into Bulbasaur's bulb. He gulped and backed up, deciding it was a pretty good idea to get some distance. A few seconds later, Bulbasaur released the solar energy in a Solarbeam. Heracross went flying off and landed on his head next to the Grass Type with a groan. Bulbasaur and the other Pokemon turned their attention back to Sceptile. The Forest Pokemon was still a little shaken. _'Note to self; don't underestimate Bulbasaur.'_ He mentally shuddered. That little Pokemon wasn't even evolved and it was almost on his level. He could only imagine how tough it would be as a Venasaur…

" _Okay everyone, gather up. So Ash just got back, but this is the one time I've seen him come home without saying hi to us or anything. You think something went wrong?"_

Bulbasaur, who was generally the spokesperson for the other Pokemon stepped up to respond.

" _Well, it is possible, especially if he just got home. I can't remember a time where he didn't at least drop by and say hi… Did he go straight to where he sleeps?"_

Sceptile nodded. Bulbasaur scratched his chin with a vine, thinking in a very human-like gesture. " _Well, I have an idea. Huddle up."_ The huddle that formed was huge and awkward, but it would work.

Serena made her way into Ash's little living space. She stood outside the cave and kicked at a few pebbles on the ground tentatively before she decided she better just go in. Knocking slightly on the wall, since it was clearly a cave and didn't have a door, she made her way in to see a depressed looking Ash. Well actually, she saw his back. The rest of him was glaring at the wall, presumably with an angry or depressed look on his face. "Ash?" she spoke.

The body in front of her refused to turn around and instead continued to stare at the rough, grey stone walls of the cave. The crystals around the cave illuminated it and gave it a beautiful look, but the atmosphere at the moment was anything but bright. Serena hesitantly stepped towards Ash, tapping his shoulder. "Ash? Are you okay?" The response she got was a grunt. Stepping a little closer, she pulled on his shoulder a bit. "Ash, I know how you feel. Remember the times that my Pokemon got hurt or lost in Showcases? I was feeling just like you are at the time."

Serena mentally cringed at her word choice. She had said pretty similar things to Ash that time after he lost at the 8th gym in Kalos and Greninja got injured; his reaction had not been great. And currently, Ash was trembling. She mentally prepared herself for him to lash out at her angrily once again, but was shocked when she instead heard a sob choke out. The sob gave way to another, and another, and eventually a flood of tears. Ash spoke to her through his sobs,

"Serena, I understand that you know how failure feels; everyone has felt it at some point, even the Champions! But this is different! You are a Performer; if you mess up, yea it feels bad, but there usually isn't any physical harm! What I'm feeling is different!" With that said, Ash's sobs got even louder. Serena wrapped her arms around him and spoke.

"Well, explain it to me then! Remember that I'm here to help you, and part of that requires me to understand you." Ash was apparently able to process her words through the sobbing as he nodded slightly and carried on.

"True pain and failure… it's seeing your partner fail, and be destroyed before your eyes. It's seeing them seriously and badly hurt when you know you could have done something to stop it. It's seeing one of your best friends- no, an important member of your family- in a critical condition and knowing it's your fault!"

Just like that, Serena got it. It wasn't the feeling of failure. It was the feeling of failing his Pokemon and watching them taking the fall for his mistakes.

Ash spoke up again, startling Serena; she didn't expect him to talk of his own volition. "Times like this… they're also precisely the times that make me think those traitors were right."

Serena looked at him in shock, but he didn't give her a chance to cut him off. "They told me I was weak, that those around me are vulnerable simply because they know me. If I hadn't told Typhlosion to use that Earthquake, nothing would have happened! He would have been completely safe! But nope! Just because he was associated with me, he got screwed over! I'm sick of it!"

Serena drank in his words. So this was the type of thing that had plagued him this whole time… not a feeling of failure, but the feeling of letting a friend or a family member fall. Still, she had something to say. "Ash, remember that time you told me about how you met some of your older Pokemon?' At the teary-eyed boy's nod, she continued. "Well, you told me you got Cyndaquil when you saved it from some crazed kid who tried to catch it with a net. Do you honestly think it would be better off now if you had never met it? It probably never would have evolved, and that crazy kid may have caught it and treated it badly!" Ash raised his head to make an argument, but Serena cut him off.

"Pikachu might never have met you, and would've hated humans forever. Charmander could've died out in the rain when his trainer abandoned him. Bulbasaur would've stayed in the village and never grown or given a chance to mature the way he did. You have really positive effects on people!"

Ash stared back sullenly. "Doesn't change the fact that I risk their lives just by getting close to them. It's not even just people like Team Rocket who make it dangerous; trouble seems to follow me around!"

Serena shook her head. "That may be true, but you're strong enough to overcome those obstacles! You get your friends and family through troubles and into safety! Need I mention that none of your friends actually died because of you?" At Ash's flinch, she gasped. "What?"

Ash sighed and stopped his sobs to look towards the cave roof in reverence. "Two have. Lucario was revived, so I guess he doesn't count… but Latios, a Pokemon I met on my journey in the Johto region, is the only Pokemon I met who actually died. There was a tidal wave coming for the city… he stopped it at the cost of his life."

Serena watched Ash's expression go back from reverent to depressed. "Ash, you can't base everything off one death. I'm willing to bet you tried your best to help him, and he willingly sacrificed himself to save the city! None of it was your fault!"

Ash seemed unconvinced. "Serena, I don't know how long I can keep doing this. I was okay before since nobody got seriously hurt. Now though… I shouldn't even have sent Typhlosion in against something like Primal Groudon. I don't even know what I was thinking; a legend is tough enough, but it basically powered up and gained a type resistance to Typhlosion! It was stupid of me!"

A flash of light interrupted whatever response Serena wanted to make.

A bruised, burnt, but awake and standing Typhlosion emerged from his Poke Ball. The roar he directed at his trainer was easy to understand, even for Serena who couldn't understand Pokemon: " _You flipping idiot!"_

Typhlosion's arrival seemed like a pretty good timing, since around that time all of Ash's other Pokemon stormed the cave and surrounded him. Those that couldn't fit in the cave simply stood outside, making sure they were still in range to hear and speak to their trainer. Pikachu stood in front of the crowd of Pokemon, speaking for all of them. " _Ash, you've touched all of our lives. None of us blame you for any of the danger we get into; we know what kinds of adventures humans get into when we join. True, you may get into more than most, but we understood the risks. And what means the most to us is that you always put us first. Jumping in front of attacks, always putting our health above yours. Even if we didn't like the risks, you do everything you can to get rid of them! We love and respect you for who you are and what you do for us, regardless of the danger in our lives. Don't forget that."_

Ash looked back and forth between his partner, his other Pokemon, and his girlfriend. He grew teary eyed. The determination in their eyes… it was all on him. They believed in him, and they were determined that he would always be there to help them and do the best thing for them. He began to cry again, but this time they were tears of joy. He managed to choke out a few more words to his closest friends and companions. "Thanks so much, all of you…"

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: January 16**


	20. Search for Another Legend!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash pulled himself together pretty quickly after that restoration due to his friends and Pokemon. He got up from the small bed he had in the cave, put together from leaves and bushes of the tree, and spoke, "Thanks again, everyone. I'm honored that you all have so much confidence in my abilities, and I swear I won't let you down. I would still like to apologize to Typhlosion though-"

The Volcano Pokemon interrupted with a roar. " _Apology accepted, though I still don't think you did much wrong. Move on."_

Ash smiled and nodded. "Okay everyone, it's getting pretty late. Guys, I'll set out dinner in a second. You all eat and then go to sleep or chat as you please. Infernape, Pidgeot, and Pikachu; you three be ready tomorrow. I'm sorry I can't use you for the next battle, Typhlosion, but I'm pretty sure the rules state that if I lose a battle I can't use that same Pokemon against another legend, nor can I battle the same legend."

Serena glanced at him. "Did Lance say that?"

Ash shrugged, "I think he forgot, but I looked over the rules on Dexter. Anyway, I need you three to be up and ready to make our way to Stark Mountain to fight Heatran tomorrow. We all good?"

The response of a bunch of roars and cheers was all he needed to hear. "Great! Break for dinner!"

Serena made her way into Ash's cave once all the Pokemon were asleep. She sat down next to the boy and spoke up, "Hey Ash, why did you want me in here?"

Ash turned to her with a smile. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. You may have snapped me out of my funk together with my team, but you alone were the one who made the first attempt. Just like way back in Snowbelle City… You are always the first person to pick me up when I'm down. I just wanted to thank you officially."

Serena turned to him with a sweet smile, "No problem Ash! We agreed to be there for each other every step of the way. This is part of that promise, and I plan to always keep it!"

Ash smiled and hugged her tightly. He then stepped back and looked her in the eyes. The two remained that way, lost in each other's eyes and thoughts.

A small black nose poked into the cave silently, followed by the rest of Pikachu. He smirked at the couple and gestured to a friend outside the cave. Serena's Braxien came in after him. He whispered something to her and she nodded with a smile. Pikachu then executed his plan.

He took off in a Quick Attack and got behind Ash before he and Serena could understand what was happening, and at the same time Braxien rushed up behind Serena. They two Pokemon slapped their respective trainers' heads forwards.

The contact shocked the two of them at first. The soft lips crashing into each other with uncontrolled speed thanks to the force of the two Pokemon surprised them both, and they almost bounced back in shock. But the feelings flowing through them were strong; the heat, the love, the passion were all felt in that little contact. So they stuck together until they were forced to separate, gasping for air. Pikachu and Braxien retreated to the space where the Pokemon slept, and Ash and Serena gazed at each other, unsure of what they should do next. But to Serena, it came more naturally. "Love you, Ash." She then promptly turned and made her way out of the cave, cheeks still a blazing red. But she moved just slowly enough to hear Ash's quiet reply/ "Love you too."

It was a little hard for the two to look at each other without blushing at that point, but they still got along like always, though they seemed to do simple things like hug and hold hands more often. The group geared up and Ash helped Serena onto Pidgeot. The Flying-Type steeled itself for the long trip to Sinnoh before taking off.

Pidgeot touched down outside Stark Mountain, slightly tired but way out of the danger zone. She could easily make it back to the Tree, but she would need a night's rest. With a few words of thanks, Ash recalled Pidgeot and made his way into Stark Mountain with Pikachu on his shoulder and Serena by his side.

The group wasn't familiar with the layout of the mountain. They ran into a few angry Macargo and were forced to make a hasty retreat, having Greninja's Water Shuriken cut off their opponents. Ash recalled Greninja and noticed a tunnel in the side of a wall they were near. He and Serena made eye contact before they both shrugged and made their way into the mysterious tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel the group emerged into a small cave, but one thing distinguished it from the other caves that dotted the mountainside. It was _super_ hot. The instant they stepped into the room, it was like the temperature rose about 20 degrees; and Stark Mountain in general was already really hot. In the center of the room lay a small, circular object. Ash glanced at the sphere warily. Serena asked, "What is that thing?"

Ash pulled out the Pokedex and started typing. "I have no clue, to be honest. I'm hoping that Dexter has some information on it." As he spoke, Dexter beeped. The synthetic voice of the Pokedex rang out. "This is a Magma Stone. If one touches it, Heatran is summoned. Approach with extreme caution."

Ash being Ash, he promptly walked up to the stone. "So this'll summon Heatran huh? Okay, the caution warning means he might be angry, so we may need to calm him down. You guys ready?" When Serena and Pikachu nodded, he reached out and touched the stone.

A bright flash of light and another surge of heat filled the room as Heatran showed up, coming through a tunnel in the roof than none of them had noticed. " _Who dares!?"_

"That'd be me." Heatran turned its annoyed gaze to the young punk on the floor. " _Some kid, a little girl, and a tiny rat? What do you people want with me?"_ Ash winced. "You probably shouldn't have said that last part. About my Pikachu, I mean." " _Huh?" "Take this!"_

Heatran winced as a massive flow of electricity permeated his nervous system. He collapsed more in shock than anything at how tough the little mouse was. Pikachu glared and cut off his Thunder. " _Don't call me a little rat."_ Heatran managed to nod. " _Noted. What do you people want again?"_

Ash explained the situation to Heatran. " _Ah, I knew you looked somewhat familiar. Sorry, but it has something to do with the properties of the Magma Stone. Heatran are drawn to them like Pokemon are drawn to territory, and are super defensive of them. I apologize; it's basically reflex. So anyway, you checked my old hideout for me and saw Groudon, lost to him, and decided you would head here. I'm up for a battle as soon as I heal. Just follow me."_

The group made its way to the lava pit at the center of the volcano. Heatran hopped into it, to Ash and Serena's shock. The molten lava glowed before Heatran emerged, looking good as new. " _Lava heals Heatran. Don't question it."_

The group then made their way to another chunk of land, devoid of lava (since it would be unfair if Heatran could heal at any given moment). " _Okay, send out your Pokemon."_ Ash nodded. "Infernape, come on out!" The fire-powered monkey popped out of its Poke Ball and screeched, beating his hands on his chest. "We're ready!" " _Then come at me!"_

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Complete**

 **Date Uploaded: January 17**


	21. Take Two! The Fire Trial!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon. As usual, reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash looked to Serena to ensure that she held his Pokedex. At a nod from her, he gestured to Infernape and gave him the go ahead. Infernape took the initiative, charging towards the larger fire type with a Mach Punch. Taken aback by Infernape's speed and held back by the fact that he was pretty immobile thanks to his weight, Heatran was shoved backwards hard. "Follow up! Close Combat!" Infernape promptly started punching and kicking Heatran with the form of an MMA fighter. The Lava Dome Pokemon groaned as the blows rained down on him from all sides. Infernape soon stopped the barrage and jumped away with the grace of a dancer. He clenched his teeth in pain, however, Heatran's half-steel body made it hard to hit him without hurting himself.

"Dodge!" Snapping himself back to attention, Infernape leapt to the side as an Overheat blasted the spot where he had just been standing. He growled and retaliated with a Flamethrower, grinning when Heatran looked uncomfortable in it. The Pokemon may have lived in lava and heat, but it was still partly a Steel Type Pokemon. Fire attacks could hurt it.

Heatran's eye's glowed and he summoned a storm of rocks, directing them to land on or around Infernape. Infernape leapt to the sides and dodged around attacks, but eventually found himself boxed in. With only one way to go, he leapt high into the air… only to see Heatran charging a Flash Cannon. He desperately tried to reach the ground in time, but the Flash Cannon nailed him and sent him flying into the nearby wall. He groaned; the crash hurt more than the actual attack. Infernape gritted his teeth and pulled himself to hit feet, but his eyes widened as a Flamethrower flew at him. "Counter with your own Flamethrower!" Heeding his trainer's call, Infernape managed to hold Heatran's fire off with his own long enough to back out of range.

"Infernape!" Ash shouted. "Approach from above! It doesn't really look like he has a neck, so it's a blind spot!" The flaming monkey grinned and charged forward in Flame Wheel, using the wheel's velocity to gain momentum. As Heatran fired another Flamethrower, he jumped and stopped the Flame Wheel, managing to end up right above Heatran. "Straight down and Close Combat!" As Infernape let gravity take him down, however, he missed Heatran starting to glow a slight shade of red. Suddenly, Heatran's body sent out waves and waves of fire in all directions, even above him. Infernape was startled and was sent flying off his attack course. Heatran smirked. " _I have ways to get around my blind spots."_

The angry Fire Chimp leapt to his feet and screeched, both irritated and damaged by the very fast Magma Storm. Ash was awed; that was a new attack on him. It looked like an omni-directional Heat Wave! Infernape turned to Ash. He got the message pretty fast. "Want to try out some of your newer moves?" At the chimps nod, he grinned and nodded. "Okay! Thunder Punch!" Infernape's fist lit up with electricity. He kicked off the ground with immense speech and charged Heatran. The Lava Dome Pokemon tried to force Infernape back with a Flash Cannon, but the Flame Pokemon nimbly sidestepped it and slammed his fist into Heatran. The legendary Pokemon roared in pain at the electricity flowing into him. It may not have been a super effective move, but it was unexpected, and that made the pain much worse. "Follow up with Mach Punch!"

Infernape slammed another fist, this time glowing blue, into the steel on Heatran's back. Heatran roared again, but this time Infernape cringed and jumped back. His hands were once again hurt by punching the hard steel on Heatran's back. His attempt at an escape was quickly cut off by another Magma Storm before a Rock Slide nailed him. Ash winced as he noted Infernape's struggle to pull himself up. "Infernape, fall back! Use Flame Wheel!"

Heatran's eyes glowed as he summoned even more rocks from the sky to drop on Infernape, but the Flame Pokemon had none of it. He promptly curled up in Flame Wheel and managed to navigate through all of the rocks, making it back to his side of the battlefield without taking any extra hits. "Gotta work around that steel on his body somehow…" Ash muttered. He could have Infernape aim for Heatran's sides, but if the legendary Pokemon so much as leaned to the side that wouldn't help much. The Lava Dome Pokemon only had a few blind spots, and the best one was the one covered with the most steel on his back. Punching that would only hurt Infernape's hands more. Ash looked at Heatran for a bit. Sides, not an option. Head… too susceptible to Flash Cannon. Back wouldn't help, and even if it did Heatran had Magma Storm to defend that area. He winced when Heatran raised its massive, thick feet and slammed them onto the floor, starting shockwaves and knocking Infernape to the floor with an Earthquake. The seismic waves flowed out from underneath Heatran. "Wait… underneath Heatran… that's it!" Ash turned to his Flame Pokemon.

"You don't happen to know Smokescreen, right?" The Flame Pokemon shook his head slowly. "Okay… In that case, it's time to break out that new move from Professor Oak's lab! Ready?!" " _You got it!"_

Heatran stared at the Flame Pokemon and his trainer for a few seconds before he fired a Flash Cannon. The fire chimp once again easily hopped to the side. Heatran glared. That thing was too fast. He only seemed to be able to hit it by catching it off guard, and it resisted most of his attacks. He glared as a Flamethrower flew towards him. With glowing eyes he summoned part of a Rock Slide. A massive boulder blocked the attack. He waited until the whoosh accompanying the flames was no longer audible before firing a Flash Cannon through the rock and destroying it. To his surprise, Infernape was still standing exactly where he had started. He would have expected the Flame Pokemon to charge in using the boulder as cover… shaking off his surprise, he fired a Flamethrower at Infernape. The Pokemon dodged and charged in at his trainer's command. Heatran promptly summoned Rock Slide once more. "Strafe!" Ash shouted. Infernape promptly ran from side to side, letting the rocks crash into the ground behind him. Heatran was even more suspicious. Why wasn't it dodging with Flame Wheel again? Maybe he was tired or something…

"Go!" The Infernape reached Heatran and drew a fist back in a punch. Heatran smirked before firing a Flash Cannon at him, sending him flying into the wall. " _Approaching me and not even using an attack? You're not as smart as I thought!"_

Ash smirked. "Am I?" Heatran was confused by his smirk. He glared at Infernape, still embedded in the wall, and wondered what the Flame Pokemon was planning. To his immense shock, the Flame Pokemon looked at him, smirked, and vanished in a puff of smoke. His eyes widened, however, when he felt the ground below him tremble. He quickly raised his legs and prepared to smash them down in Earthquake, but was too late. In a blur of movement, Infernape smashed through the ground and nailed a dig into his soft stomach. Heatran shouted in pain and was toppled over by the sheer force of the attack. He landed on his bad, exposing his fleshy stomach to the air; the stomach that wasn't covered with a layer of steel. It was designed to look tough, but if he was entirely steel he wouldn't have been able to move much at all. So when Infernape leapt into the air and brought a Mach Punch down on his stomach, he almost passed out.

Ash grinned. "Infernape, time to finish this up! Jump into the air! Then use Thunder Punch with one hand, Mach Punch with the other, and combine them in close combat!" The command was complicated, but Infernape and Ash had trained and come prepared. The chimp leapt into the air. His left hand was cloaked in a harsh blue glow; his right surrounded by a yellow, crackling aura. Gravity took him back towards his target as he roared and repeatedly slammed his fists into the opponent. Heatran yelled in pain before his legs gave out and he gave into unconsciousness. Infernape hopped back to Ash and glared at Heatran for a few seconds before determining that it wasn't getting back up. He had won.

" _Gah, that was painful."_ Heatran muttered as he dragged himself up. " _What was that last trick? You shouldn't be able to learn Teleport…"_ Ash grinned. "A very well-timed substitute. That was why Infernape didn't use any moves, even when he was about to hit you. But we knew if you saw us using Dig you would just use Earthquake, so we had to distract you. Luckily it worked out."

Heatran nodded. " _Impressive. Annoying, but impressive. Anyway, if you would leave me to heal in peace, I believe you have what you came for?"_

Ash nodded. "Thanks again for the battle. You can make it back to the lava pool to heal, right?"

When Heatran nodded, Ash smiled. "Got it. Serena! Pikachu! Let's get back to the tree!"

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Complete.**

 **Date Uploaded: February 13**


	22. The Finale: The Beginning of the End

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Pidgeot landed at the Tree of Beginning yet again, with Ash having another trial completed. "That was a rush! What a great battle!" Ash grinned as he hopped of Pidgeot, chatting with his girlfriend. Serena smiled. "Yea, Infernape really gave the fight its all! See what happens when you believe in yourself and try your hardest?" Ash blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, I guess so. Better go to bed. Serena, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Night Ash!"

Ash woke up with a grin on his face. "Okay, time for the grass trial. I just hope I can find who I want to find..."

He had made an interesting choice for the trial. Sceptile, powerful as he was, was seriously lacking in move variety. He had Pound and Quick Attack, but literally every other move he knew was Grass Type. Against a Grass type legend, the moves he had wouldn't be enough for him to win. So Ash decided to do with a more unorthodox choice.

Bulbasaur. One of his very first and most loyal, faithful teammates. Bulbasaur had variety that Sceptile lacked. He had picked up on lots of moves over the time he had been left at the lab, and somehow knew moves his species wasn't supposed to learn. Ash was sure that Sludge Bomb and Whirlwind would help him fight off the opposing Grass types, so he had made his decision. Bulbasaur would be his partner in the trial. He made his way out of the cave and called his partner to him. He returned Bulbasaur to the Poke Ball and made his way back to his cave. He gently work up Pikachu and made his way to Serena's little cave. She was sprawled out on top of the comfortable makeshift beds the couples had built for their stays at the Tree. Ash hesitated to wake her up- she looked so cute and peaceful overall- but ultimately decided she would be angrier if he left without her. Besides, he had a long journey to make and was sure his girlfriend would understand.

He gently grabbed Serena's hand and squeezed it, whispering. "Serena, time to wake up." Serena shuddered and muttered in her sleep. "Don't worry Ash, I can call Clemont over to watch the Pokemon. Let's just go on a vacation alone together…" Ash sweatdropped. It seemed she was dreaming pretty heavily. He blushed at the thought; him and Serena, living comfortable lives with their Pokemon in the future. Still, he shook the thought off for now. He had to live in the present for the time being. "Serena, come on." He shook her hand a little more and her eyes cracked open. "Good morning Serena." He smiled at his girlfriend and hugged her. Serena blinked a few times before coming to her senses and hugging him back. "Morning. Should I get ready?" Ash nodded. "Yea, that's probably the best idea. We need an early start; I'll meet you outside."

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu climbed aboard Pidgeot once more and set off. All four were munching on berries (in between his own bites Ash would lean down and feed Pidgeot a few). "It was nice of you to grab these since I wasn't awake to cook dinner Ash!" Serena smiled. Ash grinned. "Thanks! I can't cook, but I also wanted to eat before leaving and didn't want to bother you or take a long time… but I'm pretty good at foraging!" The two made idle chatter as Pidgeot flew on to their next destination, Pikachu hopping into the conversation occasionally.

A few hours of flight later, a somewhat worn out Bird Pokemon landed on the ground. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu hopped off. "Thanks as always, Pidgeot!" The bird cawed with a smile as Ash recalled him. Serena took in the environment. "Wow Ash! This place is beautiful!"

All around them lay fields upon fields of bright pink flowers. Ash looked on happily. "This is a field of Gracidea flowers, flowers given to people as a sign of gratitude. An old friend of mine migrates her around this time… I only hope she's here."

He leaned down among the flowers, moving his hands until they struck something warm. "Aha!" He latched on and pulled out what looked like a tuft of grass with a few flowers on it. Serena looked on in shock. "Ash! You can't just go pulling up grass and flowers!" "Trust me, Serena." He turned the small blob of grass to reveal it had… a face?

Serena jumped back in shock. "What the heck?" " _Why are you picking me up?"_ the Pokemon asked. "Sorry, I was hoping a friend of mine would be here. She's a Shaymin as well. Do you happen to know the Shaymin that got mixed up with Giratina a year or two ago?"

The Pokemon in his arms nodded. " _Yea, everyone knows her! After seeing how cool she was, she actually leads the pack now! I'm her second-in-command! One second, I'll get her over here."_ The Gratitude Pokemon hopped back into the flowers for a second and shouted something.

Ash spotted a blur of green and white in the sky about a second before it barreled towards him. "Oh crud." With a crash, the blur knocked him to the ground, landing in his arms. " _Ash! It's so good to see you!"_ "Great to see you too Shaymin! How have you been? I hear you lead the group of Shaymin now!"

Shaymin hopped off Ash and smirked. In her Sky forme, she hovered around Ash and spoke, this time using her telepathy. _Wait, did you just understand me? I swear I didn't use telepathy the first time I talked… And yea, I lead the group! Clearly they recognized how amazing I was and decided that I would be the best choice to lead them into battle and just in general._ Ash nodded. "Still as arrogant as ever, I see… Yea. Long story short, I understand Pokemon now. My body seems to have the ability to control Aura, and it basically translates your language into mine. Of course, your telepathy means it doesn't really matter to me anyway, but with my friend here telepathy may be the way to go. _Noted._ Shaymin telepathed. _And I'm not being arrogant, I'm just being honest. That's pretty much what they told me when they asked me to lead them. And who are you?_ Serena perked up.

"I'm Serena! I'm Ash's traveling companion and his girlfriend, actually!"

Shaymin started. _Ash has a girlfriend? I didn't see that coming. And even when I considered it, I always thought he would end up with Dawn… Where is she at anyway?_

Ash and Serena exchanged an uncomfortable look. "Pikachu, mind explaining? I don't really want to discuss it myself." The yellow mouse nodded and hopped off his shoulder, greeting Shaymin before launching into an explanation.

A few minutes later, Pikachu had finished explaining. _Wow… I can't say I saw that coming. She was always so nice to me… Still, I believe you guys. I'm so sorry that had to happen Ash._

Ash nodded. "So am I. But I've managed so far. I still have Serena, and all my Pokemon stuck by me. Nothing had really changed besides the fact that I don't have to deal with them. I actually probably prefer my lifestyle now."

Shaymin grinned. _Good to hear. I'm glad you guys are happy. But on another note, why are you here? Not that I don't appreciate the visit or anything- in fact, seeing you has made me incredibly happy- but it seems a little sudden and random._

Ash replied, "Well, I was invited to take a challenge to become part of the Elite Four. To make the cut, I have to challenge legendary Pokemon with certain types. When I saw one of them was Grass Type, I decided it would be a great time to come visit you and request a battle at the same time. So what do you say? Will you accept my challenge, as the final opponent I must overcome to make it as an Elite?"

Shaymin looked at him, her eyes boring into him. _Hmm… Sounds pretty important. Of course I'm in! I haven't had a good fight since Giratina, believe it or not! This'll be great! Let's head to a place with less flowers, though._

When the group had relocated to an open field, Ash threw Serena the Pokedex. She turned it on and pointed it as Ash hurled a Poke Ball and released Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur glared down Shaymin for a few seconds. The battle was set to begin.

* * *

 **Date uploaded: January 8**

 **Chapter 22 Complete.**


	23. Guardian of Gratitude! The Grass Trial!

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Winds blew past, shaking the grasses of the field. Without warning, Shaymin lunged. She fired an Energy Ball at Bulbasaur and followed behind it with an Aerial Ace. "Bulbasaur, use your vines to jump!" Bulbasaur used one of his oldest tactics, drawing out vines with Vine Whip and slamming them onto the ground, using the impact to leap high into the air and away from Shaymin's combination attack. "Sludge Bomb from above!" Bulbasaur turned in midair and pointed his bulb at Shaymin; purple sludge shot out of it and made contact with Shaymin, driving her into the ground. _Ow._ She pulled herself up in time to fly out of the way of Bulbasaur's own Energy Ball, then was forced to roll to the side to avoid his Razor Leaf. _Dang, he moves and attacks really fast!_ She telepathically shouted praise to Bulbasaur, Ash, and the others. _But that won't stop me!_

She charged Bulbasaur again, since he had landed on the ground. The Seed Pokemon fired a Leech Seed at Shaymin, and she managed to slip to the side of it and truck Bulbasaur with an Aerial Ace. The Seed Pokemon was sent tumbling back, but in a show of skill, even as he flailed and flew backwards he managed to fire a seed at Shaymin again. The Leech Seed soared through the air and struck Shaymin, latching on. While Shaymin's grass type provided immunity to the energy siphoning effects of the move, the vines were still tangled and limited her mobility. Bulbasaur slammed into her with a Take Down and fired an Energy Ball at her airborne form, sending her crashing to the floor. When he fired Razor Leaf, Ash tried to stop him, but it was too late. Shaymin was not stupid, she flew straight into the Razor Leaf and endured the minimal damage from the Grass Type move until Leech Seed was cut down and fell off. Her fully mobility restored, she flew out of the range of the Sludge Bomb Ash commanded Bulbasaur to fire at her.

 _My turn!_ Shaymin shouted and then fired a blast of air straight at Bulbasaur. The Air Slash cut straight through a hastily fired Energy Ball and continued downwards to strike Bulbasaur, sending him flying backwards. She then pooled energy into an enormous Air Slash about three times as big as Bulbasaur. "Bulbasaur, get back!" Ash shouted desperately. Shaymin was having none of it. Her eyes glowed green and a spring of grass popped up beneath Bulbasaur, holding him in place. Shaymin shouted and fired the Air Slash straight at the immobile Seed Pokemon. The Grass Knot held long enough for the attack to make direct contact with him. Bulbasaur's legs trembled as he got to his feet; despite his amazing attacking capabilities, his defense was still hindered by the fact that he didn't want to evolve. Ash wasn't sure if his partner could take another hit like that.

Shaymin didn't give him time to think about it. She let Bulbasaur get to his feet out of courtesy, not wanting to attack him while he was down, but once he got up she was once again barreling straight at him with Aerial Ace. "Bulbasaur, I need you to use Vine Whip and grab Shaymin out of the air!" Bulbasaur nodded. With the precision that came from being Ash's first grass Pokemon ever and one of his most experienced partners, his vines lashed out and caught Shaymin, halting Aerial Ace but straining with effort. "NOW! Bring her right above your bulb and unleash Solar Beam!"

The little Poison and Grass Type roared. He charged up the beam, all the while managing to hold Shaymin in place, and fired. In Sky Forme, Shaymin may have had a very high resistance to Grass type moves, but a Solar Beam fired directly into her from inches away still hurt like hell. She was sent flying through the air, covered in burns from the heat of the solar energy. _Damn! That smarts!_ Shaymin telepathed. She pulled together energy for another Air Slash and fired. "Disperse it! Whirlwind!" _What?_ In a move completely unusual to that of his species, Bulbasaur shot out a powerful blast of wind that managed to blow the condensed ball of Air off course. _The heck was that?_ Shaymin wondered. _Whatever. Time to finish this!_ Shaymin's eyes glowed green again, and another Grass Knot sprung up and tied Bulbasaur to the ground.

Ash's eyes widened. "No way Bulbasaur can take another hit like that… that's it! Bulbasaur, use Dig!" The Seed Pokemon smashed his paws into the ground and managed to create a hole, at the same time tearing the up the roots of the Grass Knot. "Bulbasaur! If you can hear me, prepare that finisher we talked about!" " _You got it!"_ Ash heard a faint reply from the hole. Shaymin hovered above the ground warily before it exploded beneath her. She tried to fly away but Bulbasaur was too fast. Vines grabbed a hold of her and Bulbasaur's seeds fired a cloud of toxic gas into the air around her; some variant of Sludge Bomb released as a gas, for sure. He threw her into the cloud and fired a Solar Beam into it. Surprisingly the Solar Beam drew in some of the gaseous poison in the air. The attack glowed purple. Shaymin closed her eyes and winced.

The dust cleared, and Shaymin lay on the ground. Ash grinned in victory before racing over to one of his oldest partners. "Great job as always buddy." The Seed Pokemon smiled in response before allowing himself to be returned to the Poke Ball; he was pretty tired. Ash then moved over to Shaymin. "You okay there?" Shaymin winced as she got off the ground. _I'll live. That was a really cool last move! You think I can learn to do that with Seed Flare?_ Ash chuckled. That was a pretty fast recovery. "Maybe, Shaymin. I wouldn't be surprised if you did. You need any healing? I have some potions." _No need. One of my friends was watching over there. Hey! Can I get an Aromatherapy?_

Shaymin healed up and turned to the patches of grass in the clearing. _I know you all are watching! Get out here!_ Ash looked at her with surprise. "Huh? What are you talking about?" Slowly, groups of Shaymin started to emerge from patches of grass around the clearing. Ash started. Apparently they were pretty interested in watching their leader fight. Serena smiled. They were all so cute!

Shaymin turned around, in deep thought. She had completely and utterly outclassed Bulbasaur in terms of power. That much was clear. His Sludge Bomb didn't even hurt much, but the Air Slash she hit him with did a ton. Yet, thanks to Ash helping him, he was the stronger fighter in their battle. As she thought, it hit her. That Bulbasaur's strength… it was what she wanted too. And she needed guidance to get there. She turned to her group.

 _All right guys! Remember my second in command? Leaf, you in that group somewhere?_ The Shaymin Ash had picked up a while back stepped forward. _Yes? I'm right here._ Shaymin nodded. _You're in charge from now on. Guys, Leaf will lead you now. I trust her judgement and I've trained her well; she can handle any problems you run into._ The Shaymin, and Ash and Serena for that matter, gaped. Shaymin then turned to Ash. _Well? Catch me already! I want to get stronger, and I know you would be honored to have me on your team. After all, I'm the best!_ "There's that snarky attitude again…" Ash muttered. "This is a pretty sudden choice. Are you sure about this Shaymin? Much as I would love to have you, you'd be giving up your friends and family here." Shaymin sighed. _Please Ash, I would've though you realized this by now. Ever since that thing with Zero, we have been family! I've missed you, and I know the best way to grow is for me to come with you! Please let me!_

Ash smiled. "Good enough of an answer for me. All I can say is, Shaymin, welcome to the family." Shaymin smiled and leapt into Ash's arms. _Good to be back._

* * *

 **Date uploaded: January 8**

 **Chapter 23 Complete.**


	24. Epilogue

**Thanks for reading. I don't own Pokemon.**

 ** _Italics:_** **Telepathy.**

 **'Word': thoughts.**

 **"Words": spoken words.**

 **"** ** _Words"_** **: words spoken by Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Pidgeot, and Shaymin made their way back to the Tree. As the sun went down, Shaymin reverted to her normal form, but Ash caught her and she climbed onto his head. Luckily he had grabbed a flower or two before leaving the meadow, and his grass types could figure out how to plant and grow more… _Heh, forgot how cozy it was up here._ Ash's thoughts were interrupted by Shaymin."Yeah, and I forgot how heavy you were up there." _Hey!_ Laughing and making small talk, the group made their way back to the cave homes they had set up and went to sleep.

The next day, Ash gathered his Pokemon together. "Well everyone, am I glad to say this… We did it! The trials are complete! We've made the cut to be elites!" The Pokemon roared with happiness. And they expressed their joy the only way they knew how. Dogpiling. On top of Ash. Hard.

Sceptile, Lucario, and a few others who preferred to look composed stood off to the side with smiles on their faces, but for the most part Ash's Pokemon were on top of him. The group cheered. They had done it. And as far as Ash was concerned, he had finally proven himself.

With a bag full of Poke Balls and Serena by his side, Ash made his way to Indigo Plateau and spoke with Lance and Mr. Goodshow. "Congratulations Ash! You've made the cut. Welcome to the Elite 4! Your predecessor Agatha will be missed, but she said herself she was getting a little old. She will have a good time relaxing for the rest of her life." Goodshow spoke with a grin. Ash had to hold back a smile; even in his old age, Charles Goodshow was as excitable as a young man. Lance, a little more composed, spoke up. "We decided that you will be instated as the first ever multi-type elite user in history. Our specialties as elite members are to push challengers to show certain skills in overcoming certain traits. Fighting against rock types teaches endurance. Fighting flying types requires trainers to think beyond the norm and find some way to touch the sky. And so on. As a multi-typist, what your challengers must overcome is adaptability. You may choose any of your massive pool of Pokemon for battles, and your challenger is stuck trying to adapt to new situations every match. Sound good?"

Ash nodded, barely able to hold back his smile. "Very well then. We've set you up with a house near those of the other elites, right here at Indigo Plateau. I understand that you still love journeying, yes? We have a league Alakazam. Simply let him read your psychic signature and he will be able to teleport you back here whenever you have a challenge. This means you are free to venture as you like, as long as you keep in mind that at any second you could be spontaneously teleported back. As a user of a variety of Pokemon, we have decided to place you last in the Elite Four, since you will pose the greatest challenges and surprises. So it's kind of unlikely you'll get called back much to begin with, but be ready anyway. That's pretty much it. Have your Pidgeot fly that way and you'll see your house on the ground. Trust me, you can't miss it."

Ash nodded. With Pikachu on his shoulders and Serena holding his arm, he lobbed a Poke Ball in the air and released Pidgeot. Leaping onto the bird with a smile, he took off, ready for the next part of his life.

* * *

 **Date uploaded: January 8**

 **Chapter 24 and Story Complete.**


End file.
